Live and Let Die
by mk-lite
Summary: How far are you willing to go for someone you want to protect? Will you lend them your mind, heart, and soul to the point where you're breaking but they're mending? Feelings can go a long way, and both Talon and Katarina are on the journey of finding out their true power that has been sealed away in their cold, emotionless hearts for far too long.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone!**

 **I present to you a new story, Live and Let Die!**

 **Although this may be a bit too early for me to ask, but if you could leave a review after you finish reading, that would really help.**

 **Just a simple two minutes is all thats needed. Anything helps builds my confidence and eagerness to share more with you all.**

 **There isn't anything that makes a writer happier than hearing from their readers so please do so if it isn't too much trouble.**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of Live and Let Die.**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

 _It was supposed to be a normal night, but this night was different. There were screams, shouts, and crying throughout the entire village as the sounds of slaughter filled every house. Flames were burning up everything in sight, the heat wrapping it's suffocating embrace as her cries were met to no avail as the house she was so familiar with began to collapse in front of her eyes. Suddenly, the door burst open and a tall man rushed into the room. Scooping her up in his arms as he rushed out of the house, the man looked down at her with a comforting expression on his face. "Do not fear, young one. My name is Du Couteau and I am here to protect you and the people in this village." Setting her down a safe distance away, he ran back into the burning village. It would be hours before Du Couteau would stagger out of the destroyed village with a look of pure despair on his face. "There were no other survivors, we must take this young one back to the Noxian High Command. At least there she will have a chance of survival." he said quietly as the squadron of soldiers he came with nodded at him. Tilting her head in confusion, Katarina blinked at Du Couteau. "Pa…pa?" she said in a confused tone. Kneeling down in front of her, Du Couteau rubbed her head. "That's right, I'm your papa and I will never leave you."_

Opening her green eyes slowly, Katarina blinked a couple times before realizing that she was crying. Sitting up in her bed and wiping her eyes, Katarina swung herself out of bed as she made her way to her bathroom sink. After splashing her face with cold water, she closed her eyes, trying to shake that dream out of her head. She was only a toddler in the dream, unable to remember clear details but for some reason, that specific scene was stuck to her mind like glue. This wasn't the first time that she has had the same dream. In fact, she had lost count of how many times this has happened, starting a couple months ago. Her earliest memories began with her assassin training under the Noxian regime. Ever since then, she had grown to view feelings as a sign for weakness. Katarina had built herself up to the assassin she is from willpower, coldness, and cunningness. Katarina was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the knock and the tentative opening of her door.

Talon cautiously stepped into her room, all his senses on high alert, as Katarina always opened her unless she was in a game but games didn't start for another hour. Suspecting something was wrong, Talon paused, suddenly hearing the running water in the bathroom. Realizing his mistake, Talon quickly turned around to make a bolt for the door before Katarina walked out of the bathroom, sleepily stretching before freezing mid stretch at the sight of Talon, who had frozen mid step. Slowly turning around, Talon opened his mouth to say something before taking in the sight of Katarina in her sleeping outfit, her short gym shorts and tank top showing a lot more skin than he was ever used to seeing. Bowing quickly in apology as he averted his eyes, Talon turned back around and began sprinting for the door as he felt the fire from Katarina's rage fill the room. Just before he reached the door, a throwing knife lodged itself in the space between his skin and shoulder cloth, pinning him to the door. Before he could yank it out, a dozen more blades buried themselves all around him, rendering him immobile. Talon began frantically tearing away at his clothes before he felt Katarina's blade against his back.

"Now that I have you caught, would you like to explain what the hell you are doing in my room, peeping like some classic pervert?" Katarina asked in a sweet tone through gritted teeth. Talon gulped as beads of sweat dripped down his face. "I-I was just checking up on you, like usual! Don't you remember?! I would check up on you in the night and morning ever since we were little! You didn't answer your door so I was concerned," Talon said all in quick breath. After pondering for a couple minutes, Katarina grinned. "First off, we aren't children anymore so we have this thing called privacy. Secondly, you were still peeping on me. I cant exactly forgive you for that, so we're going to have a bit of fun," as an evil glint filled her eyes. Talon's shrill screams rang out in the hallway, causing Shyvana who was on her way delivering a basket of fruit to jump in the air, landing back on the ground in her dragon form from the sudden scare, turning the fruit into a pile of ash.

Zed was sitting alone in the cafeteria, reading one of the books Akali had insisted he read. "It'll teach you a thing or two in bed," Akali's words and winking face flashed through his mind as he kept reading slowly. The ninja had gone through emotional and physical trauma that would break any normal person. But reading _Fifty Shades of Grey_ proved to be an opponent that he was having difficulty against, as the scenes that were being described made him want to crawl into a hole. Sipping his milk carton silently with a straw that went through his mask, Zed didn't even notice Talon until the assassin collapsed onto the chair across from him, causing Zed to spit out his milk and fling the book away in surprise. "It's a good book," Talon said weakly, as the Master of Shadows quickly regained his composure, only to nearly fall out of his seat after seeing Talon's face. Talon's right eye had swollen up from the fresh black eye, there were several bruises all over his face and body, Zed suspected. There was also a small dagger buried in his shoulder, but it seemed like Talon was unaware of it. "W-what happened to you?" Zed coughed.

Propping his chin in his palm, Talon winced slightly. "Katarina happened." Zed sighed, as he picked up his book and placed it in his bag. "Although you two have been raised in the same household for as long as either of you can remember, the both of you have a relationship that one would assume is an abusive one," Zed chuckled in a low tone to which Talon raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You're a one to talk, look at you reading that kinky book. I bet a couple of hextech chests that Akali made you read that because you're absolutely hopeless in bed," Talon smirked a second before Zed's fist was buried in his already bruised face. Zed calmly examined his gloved hand to see if there was any blood on it as Talon lay on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling, wondering if his day could get any worse. As if it was on cue, the Announcer voice rang out: _"Talon, you are summoned to the waiting area to meet your summoner. Your game will commence in a couple minutes."_

Zed strolled over and helped the assassin up on his feet. "Well, it would seem your big mouth is needed on the Rift. Try to make it back alive," Zed said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he sat back down to continue reading. Talon rolled his eyes, "It was nice seeing you too, Zed," he muttered before making his way out of the cafeteria and down to the waiting area, trying to ignore the numerous stares and whispers behind his back at his damaged appearance.

Throwing open the doors to the waiting area, Talon walked up to the only available summoner. A young man about the same height as he was with bright blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes extended his hand eagerly to Talon. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Joseph and I'll be your Summoner for this game. Let us do well together! Er, it would seem..ah, just let me help you with that," the man said with a little too much energy as he plucked the dagger out of Talon's shoulder, causing him to wince slightly. Extending out his hand, the Summoner grinned eagerly at Talon. Sighing in exasperation, Talon shook his hand and went to join the rest of his team who were waiting in their teleportation portals. He closed his eyes as the teleportation portal activated, the familiar Announcer voice welcoming the Champions and Summoners to the Rift.

Opening his eyes, Talon was suddenly aware that he wasn't in his usual outfit. Fitted with a blood red cape and a white mask with a red slash down his left eye, Talon flexed his fist, admiring the Blood Moon skin that his Summoner equipped him with. As the rest of his team filed out to their respective lanes, Talon found himself thinking of Katarina again. Zed was right, Katarina had been introduced to him in his training as an assassin for the Noxian regime. It was then that they became extremely close, training together, carrying out missions together, but as of recently, he felt that she had become more distant and colder, if that was possible. He had known her ever since they were children, so he had the habit of looking after her like an older brother would. However, some old habits were hard to break, hence resulting in his beating this morning. Shaking his head, Talon took in a deep breath. _"Focus, this game is a ranked promos for my Summoner. As distasteful as it is, losing this game would be a shame for the both of us,"_ he thought as he extended his blade and readied his shurikens.

Stopping a safe distance away from his turret, he strained to see through the fog of war to see his lane opponent. Suddenly a whirling blade came into view which Talon ducked at the last second. As the blade lodged itself in the ground, Talon began to have second thoughts about winning this game as the red haired assassin stepped out into his vision. Whirling a blade in each hand, Katarina grinned at him, "Different appearance, same weakling underneath." Smiling weakly at her, Talon raised his hand in apology. "Please be gentle," he whispered. "Not a chance," she retorted as minions began to move into the lane.

A couple minutes later, and Talon was getting frustrated. He had been ganked by the enemy Lee Sin twice now and that had enabled Katarina to build up a whole item and two levels ahead of him. Purchasing his Youmuu's Ghostblade at the shop, Talon rushed back to lane, his Summoner indicating that his Flash and Ignite were ready. Katarina was pushed up, her health slightly low due to an earlier gank from Talon's jungler, Elise. Seeing an opportunity, Talon dashed in, thrusting his blade at her only to stab the ground as she shunpoed to a blade she had placed a while back. Activating his Youmuus, Talon ulted as he vanished from view in a flurry of blades. Flashing and igniting her simultaneously, Talon poured on as much damage as he could before vaulting over a nearby wall. A couple seconds later, the Announcer called out his kill as Talon breathed a sigh of relief. A shudder went down his spine as he could almost feel Katarina's rage fill up the entire Rift.

The game would continue in Talon's favor, as the rest of his team continued to snowball in their respective lanes. Finishing the game neatly in around twenty five minutes, Talon's team left the waiting area laughing and in high spirits. Talon stepped out of the waiting area to almost run into Katarina, who seemed to have been waiting for him. "Ah. If this is about the game just now, I can promise you that it was my Summoner doing all that to you, not me." Talon said in his usual no nonsense tone to which Katarina laughed. "I lost that fair and square, I was just wondering if you were okay. You seemed a bit off lately," Katarina said almost worriedly, which caused suspicion in Talon. "Actually, you're a one to talk. You've been acting reclusive, even more than you usually do. You seem more cold and quicker to resort to violence then usual. Is everything alright with you?" Talon asked as they began walking back to their living quarters. Rubbing her arm casually, Katarina refused to meet his eyes. "I've been fine. Just having some bad dreams." "About what?" Talon questioned. "I-It's nothing, look, I need to be alone. I'll see you later," Katarina said in a hurry before dashing into her room as soon as they reached it. Talon had to focus extremely hard not to pull out his hair in frustration at the irony in Katarina's words and actions. _"This red headed moron gets me all worried about her by asking me if I'm okay and now leaves me hanging when I ask her if she's okay. What the hell is that all about?!"_ he thought angrily as he stormed down to his living quarters.

Pushing open his doors and staggering to his couch before collapsing into it, Talon let his hood fall off, revealing his messy dark brown hair. Running his hand through his hair as he let his eyes wander the room, Talon stopped at the small framed picture in his bookcase. Standing up and walking over to it, he picked it up gingerly. Brushing off the thin layer of dust that coated it, Talon gazed at it, his thoughts in the past. Katarina, in a white dress and himself in a pair of jeans matched with a striped sweater stood on both sides of the tall man that they had been raised and taught to call Father. But his real name was General Du Couteau, the supreme leader of the Noxian High Command. He stood tall and proud, his uniform clean and even, everything about his body language displaying strength. Katarina and Talon were both only eight years old at the time of the picture, but that was the only picture of the three of them together. He was Katarina's father, having taken Talon in under his wing after besting him in a test of combat. But mysteriously, Du Couteau had disappeared many years ago, leaving Katarina in complete disarray, who would have gone into complete madness if Talon hadn't been there for her. So they had grown up relying and trusting one another, until recently.

Setting the picture down, Talon lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as a million thoughts ran through his head. He didn't know what to do, caring for others wasn't exactly in the assassins best abilities. So after a couple minutes of tossing and turning, he finally gave up and decided to train to get his mind off of things. It was nearly midnight and the moon was shining bright as he stepped out of his room. "Diana would be elated." Talon muttered as he made his way towards the Arena. A couple steps before he entered the Arena, he suddenly froze. Leaning slowly to peek into the Arena, he was both surprised and concerned at the sight of Katarina. She didn't seem to notice him yet, so he kept watching. Spinning so fast that she was a blur, blades flew from the middle of the mini tornado she had conjured up, each blade burying itself hilt deep into the Teemo dummies that were set up all over the Arena. _"Talk about abusing the new Practice Tool,"_ Talon smirked to himself. But his thoughts were soon silenced as Katarina burst out of her tornado, landing on top of a dummy as she pulled out two blades from behind her and sliced the dummy to confetti in two strikes. Leaping off it, she whirled her blades in her hands expertly midair before hurling them in seemingly infinite directions. When she finally landed, all the dummies fell to the floor, blades buried in the middle of all their heads.

A feat like this, despite the practice dummies, was something to be acknowledged, which reached Talon loud and clear. Cautiously stepping out from his cover and clapping his hands, Talon walked over to Katarina, who stood up in surprise. "Talon, I'm surprised you're at this hour. Aren't you tired?" she breathed, her chest still heaving up and down from the exhilaration of her genocide of Teemo dummies. "I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to take my minds off of things for a bit. I assume you are here for the same reason?" Talon asked. Rubbing her arm, Katarina spoke in almost a whisper. "Actually no, I've been having nightmares. They have been happening to me for a while now, and it's always the same nightmare. A burning village, my father coming to rescue me, and sending me to the Noxian High Command. Every single time I wake up from that dream, I'm crying and realize how alone I really am without my father in this world. I..I…" In that moment, Katarina felt all the emotions from her nightmares, the overwhelming sadness and coldness collide with one another, breaking down her emotional walls. Her voice gave out as Katarina choked up, tears beginning to fall down from her eyes. She fell to her knees and hung her head as the tears began to fall more rapidly. Lifting her head up and placing it in his chest, Talon smoothed her hair as he felt her body shake from the force of her sobs.

"I know I cannot possibly know what it is to feel even a bit of what you're going through right now. But I know that you are most definitely not alone. I have no intention of leaving you, and you have friends here that you can turn to. Akali, Cassiopeia, Garen, Shen, Ahri, and even Zed to name a few. You are cared for here, so don't feel like you're out in this harsh world all by yourself because you aren't." Talon said firmly as he felt her sobs subside. A couple minutes of blissful silence followed before Talon looked down at Katarina's head which was still buried in his chest. Realizing that she had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of everything, Talon tried to gently disengage himself from her before feeling her fist tighten on his pant leg. Sighing, he shifted his position so that Katarina's head lay in his lap as he awkwardly brushed a couple strands of red hair away from her face. Looking up at the open ceiling with the moonbeams cascading down onto him, Talon suddenly felt a sense of peace and calm overcome him. Always feeling like he was on the move, or having to watch his back for anything, this feeling of complete relaxation was foreign to the assassin. Closing his eyes, he didn't even see the silhouette of a figure floating, outlined by the white moon as he nodded off under the stars with Katarina asleep in his lap.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! I am back with the second chapter!  
I am really enjoying writing this story, so I have big plans for this. **

_Posting this chapter at nearly midnight when I have three quizzes and an essay due in less than 7 hours. :)_

 _But this is very much worth it! So please don't forget to leave a review. Anything helps! :D_

 **Without further ado, I present to you Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy.**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

The sunlight streaming through the open ceiling, Talon felt it's heat against his closed eyelids as he groaned. Opening his eyes, he slowly sat up from laying on the ground as he rubbed his eyes. As his vision slowly came into focus, his memory of last night came streaming back to him.

Katarina's words, her tears, and her rare display of vulnerability were all new to Talon, as she had always been a cold, seemingly emotionless assassin who was bent on killing for the glory of Noxus. Looking around, it seemed that Katarina had already left without a word when Talon was still asleep.

Shakily getting on his feet, Talon brushed himself off as he began walking back to his living quarters to take a much needed shower. Summoners and Champions were just starting to come out of their rooms, as games were to begin in about an hour.

Reaching his room and closing the door behind him, Talon stepped into his bathroom as he pulled his shirt and pants off, revealing his toned body. Turning on the shower water, Talon paused in front of his mirror as the steam began to fill up the room. Absently running a finger down his chest in a diagonal line, Talon traced the scar that crossed his chest. It was Du Couteau's lasting mark on him, on the night that Talon was bested in combat and forced to choose between death or a lifetime of serving Du Couteau under the Noxian High Command.

Ever since Du Couteau had vanished, Talon had nothing but that old photograph and this scar to remind him of the only father figure he could ever remember in his whole life. Shaking the memories away, Talon stepped into the shower as he felt the welcoming warmth of the water hit his face and body. Closing his eyes as the water ran down his head, Talon let his thoughts wander back towards Katarina. He often found himself thinking about her a lot more than usual for some reason, as if he was instinctively drawn to her. The reason unknown, this was just another thing to add to the list of questions that Talon had piling up in his mind. Pinching himself to get his mind straight, he began washing himself.

A couple minutes later, Talon stepped out of the shower as he wrapped a towel around his waist before stepping out of the bathroom. A small cough caused his head to whip to the side in surprise as he reached for a blade.

"If you're going to kill someone, you might want to put a shirt on first." Katarina said with a smirk as she crossed her legs on one of Talon's chairs that were set up in his room. Before Talon could have a chance to reply, his room door opened and Zed stepped in, pausing at the sight of a shirtless Talon and Katarina lounging on one of Talon's chairs.

"Am I disturbing something?" Zed asked in a low voice, his glowing red eyes unnerving as usual.

"Not at all, Talon and I were just chatting. What brings you here, Zed?" Katarina asked as Talon grabbed his uniform and retreated back into the bathroom to change.

"I came to inform Talon that he is required for a game along with myself." Zed replied. Katarina frowned, "Don't the Summoners usually come to the Champion and require their presence in person?" "Yes, but Akali suggested that I try to broaden my social interaction so here I am. I hate it already." Zed said frostily.

Katarina laughed out loud just as Talon reemerged in his usual outfit.

"Let me guess, I have a game first thing in the day." Talon groaned to which Zed nodded.

Grabbing a milk box, Talon turned to Katarina. "We'll talk later then." Talon said to her as he and Zed left to the waiting area.

Walking next to Zed, Talon stood almost at the same height, but coming across a bit shorter. When Zed did take off his mask on the rare occasion, it was easy to think that the two were brothers, much to Shen's dismay. Their matching black hair, physical build, and similar fighting styles made them interesting sparring matches in the Arena.

"So, is she your girlfriend?" Zed asked suddenly, causing Talon to spew out his milk and straw. Glaring at Zed, Talon wiped his mouth angrily. "No, she isn't. She's like a little sister to me, and I feel like she needs an older brother figure to take care of her and watch over her." Talon replied curtly to which Zed took in with silence as they arrived in the waiting area.

Looking around at their teammates, Talon tilted his head in confusion. In the top lane portal, there was Nautilus, the two coy Vastayans Xayah and Rakan in the bottom lane portals, and Zed was fitting himself into the mid lane portal. Turning to his Summoner, who was a short girl with shockingly white hair and big rimmed glasses, Talon knelt down in front of her. "You must have called for the wrong Champion, because the only available slot is jungle. Here, I'll go get Rek'sai for you." Talon stood up to go before he felt a tug on his cape.

The girl shook her head and pointed at him and then pointed at the jungle portal. Talon could already feel a headache coming on as he heard the Announcer's voice call out the ten-second timer to lock in. Growling in frustration, Talon stomped over to the jungle portal and strapped himself in before the game beamed them all onto Summoners Rift.

…

Talon's eye twitched in annoyance as he watched Nautilus teleport back to the top lane, only to be ambushed by the enemy team's Warwick and Darius. Xayah and Rakan were too busy snapping selfies of themselves together in the Rift to pay attention to Ezreal and Taric, who were pushing up the lane to their turret.

Zed was the only one holding his own against Leblanc, who was displaying the common signs of tilt, as Zed had nearly 14 kills on her while she had no kills and 14 deaths. Talon had been invaded several times from Warwick and was on the brink of just quitting the game. Quickly finishing up farming his red buff and recalling, Talon was alerted that a team fight was breaking out in the mid lane. Dashing in, Talon realized he was too late, as he watched on in silent awe at Zed trying to fend off all five of the enemy team. Nautilus was coming down from the side as well as Xayah and Rakan but Zed wasn't going to make it long enough for them to reach him.

As Talon watched, Zed dodged Darius's axe but instead got punctured in the stomach by Warwick's claws. Coughing up blood from his mask, Zed rolled away from the wolf only to get stunned in place by Taric and then blasted by Ezreal's gauntlet. Flying back into a stone wall and crumbling to the ground, Zed gritted his teeth in pain as Darius stood over him to deliver the final blow.

Before Darius could bring down his axe, Talon vaulted over the wall from behind Zed and hurled several shurikens at Darius, forcing him to use his axe to block them. Lifting Zed up on his back, Talon darted back to the safety of their turret. Turning back to face the enemy team as Nautilus, Xayah, and Rakan came to stand by his side, Talon readied his blades.

Staring at him, Darius casually threw down his axe, much to Talon's confusion. "I saw Katarina sneak into your room before game hours this morning, Talon. Care to explain this scandalous behavior from your little girlfriend?" Darius sneered, ignoring the fact that Zed was silently recalling behind Talon.

The assassin stood in silence, his hood shrouding his eyes. "That is none of your business," he said in a deathly quiet tone.

"What? You're too scared to admit that you don't have the guts to make her your own?! What a waste! You know what? I'll help a brother out and take that little girl off your table." Darius laughed with a glint of lust in his eyes.

Talon was unnaturally quiet, as the rest of his team looked at him uneasily. Zed had just finished healing back at his team's base and was making his way back.

"Take that back."

Darius burst out laughing before gripping his axe tightly and pointing it towards Talon. "Come and make me," he snarled, suddenly charging at Talon, smashing his axe where he stood.

When the dust cleared, Darius was surprised to see Talon perched on top of his axe. Slashing upwards, Darius growled in frustration as Talon easily flipped off and landed neatly on the ground. Looking behind him, Talon saw Zed joining them and nodded to the rest of his team silently before Darius and his team charged forward.

Nautilus threw out his hook and latched himself onto Warwick as Xayah and Rakan dashed in on Ezreal and Taric. Zed summoned several shadows around Leblanc as she looked around nervously, clutching her staff tightly.

Talon casually stepped to the side, narrowly missing Darius' attempt to cleave him in half. Kicking his axe aside, Talon lunched forward at Darius, colliding his fist with Darius' nose before flipping around midair and brought his knee to his head, sending the axe wielding Noxian sprawling to the ground face first. Slamming his fist on the ground as he gritted his teeth in frustration, Darius turned his head just in time to see Talon drive his fist across his face, sending him back into the dirt.

Hearing his teammates losing their battles, Darius turned his head slowly to the side to see Warwick's battered body flop next to him. Turning around so he lay on his back, Darius watched as Zed literally explode Leblanc into countless pieces of purple shards. Xayah and Rakan gave each other a loving wink as they walked over the corpses of Ezreal and Taric, who were both impaled with countless feathers.

"This is where everyone will always find you, Darius. Alone, unwanted, unloved, and thrown to the dirt where you belong." Talon's voice brought his attention to in front of him as Talon's blade was pointed directly in between his eyes. "In the end, you will always lose to every single aspect of me. So don't even think about going near Katarina or else my team and I will gladly reenact this exact scenario in the Headquarters where you won't have the luxury of being brought back by your Nexus." Talon said in voice that send a chill down Darius' spine.

Suddenly, there was a flash of metal from Talon's cape and several blades were impaled in Darius' palms, ankles, and stomach.

Darius opened his mouth to scream in pain but the blood filled his throat, rendering him completely mute except for the gurgle of blood that began to spill out of his open mouth. Talon stood over him, an expression of complete rage on his face as he watched Darius slowly choke and suffocate on his own blood.

"Now get the hell out of here and never let me see your pathetic face again." Talon snarled before drawing his arm blade and slicing Darius' head off in one clean slash.

Kicking the head to the side, Talon signaled to the rest of his team to follow him and end the game. All of them followed his orders without a second thought, except Zed, who trailed behind them, his eyes never leaving Talon until they finished the game.

…

Stepping out of the waiting area, Talon stretched outwards as the rest of his team went off in their own directions to carry on with the rest of their day. Zed stayed behind however, his glowing red eyes trained on Talon. Sensing his stare, Talon turned around to face him as he pulled his hood off.

"What is it now?" Talon asked sullenly.

Zed tilted his head slightly. "What you did in that game, was unlike you, to put it bluntly. You were always one to keep your cool and pick off targets efficiently and quickly. That is what the Noxian High Command literally taught you to do your entire life. But after what Darius said, you lost your cool."

Talon raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "What are you implying, Zed?"

Zed opened his mouth to reply before suddenly Akali appeared behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, much to his surprise.

"I thought you would never finish that game. You were in there for hours!" Akali whined as Zed gently pried her off.

"It was only a 25 minute game, Akali." Zed replied calmly, to which Akali fidgeted awkwardly.

"Well, it felt like an eternity," she mumbled, before noticing that Talon was even there in the first place. "Oh, sorry was I disturbing something?"

Talon shook his head. Akali eyes lit up suddenly as she clasped Zed's gloved hands in hers. "Ahri invited us to a double date lunch at Morgana's special bakery a couple hours ago. I already made the arrangements so hurry up and get changed into something nice!"

"What? When did I sa-" Zed started before Akali put a finger on his mask, silencing him. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry," she said with a wink.

Talon rolled his eyes and shooed Zed away. "Please, be lovebirds with other lovebirds. Just looking at you two makes me sick," he muttered as Zed sighed.

"I will continue this next time then, Talon," the ninja said before suddenly scooping up Akali in his arms like a princess as she yelped in surprise. Leaning on a pillar, Talon watched as Zed carried Akali down the hallway until they turned the corner, disappearing from sight.

"Aren't they just adorable?" Katarina suddenly whispered in his ear, causing Talon to nearly leap to the ceiling, every single shuriken and blade at ready.

Seeing that it was Katarina, Talon relaxed and landed back on his feet in front of the red haired assassin as he frustratingly brushed himself off. Katarina tried her best to hold in her laughter, but her expression gave it all away as Talon sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair.

"Must you always find some way to get under my skin?" Talon muttered. Katarina playfully punched his shoulder. "Because it's you, silly. I wouldn't do that to anyone else," she said, grinning at Talon as his eyes narrowed.

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

Pulling her fist away, Katarina tilted her head to the side while raising an eyebrow. "What, you don't trust me now?"

Shaking his head quickly, Talon put his hands up in a surrendering pose. "N-no, I'm just glad I suppose." After a couple minutes of confusion, Katarina relaxed and smiled at him. "You must be tired, I'll walk you back to your living quarters."

Scooting away from her, Talon narrowed his eyes. "There is something definitely up for you. You're never this ni-". The assassin never finished his sentence before Katarina's boot was buried in his face.

Laying on the ground, Talon felt the cool marble floor press against his clothes as he sighed heavily. Katarina held out her hand to which he took as she heaved him back on his feet. As the setting sun cast it's dark orange rays through the pillars of the hallway, Talon found himself feeling strangely at peace by Katarina's side as they made their way through the halls.

Normally, when it was just him and someone else, he always felt the desire to either be alone or to not be in their presence in the first place. After all, that's the only way he had learned to live life until he had met Katarina. Throughout all the years they had gotten to know one another, he had developed a bond with her that he shared with no one else.

But now, all these years later and walking by her side at a place like the Headquarters, he felt a different emotion starting to bloom in the cold pits of his heart. Feeling its presence, Talon instinctively felt his chest. "Something wrong?" Katarina's voice brought his attention towards her. Turning to face her as they stopped walking, Talon stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

The scar that ran down her left eye, her strikingly green eyes somehow complimenting her red hair, and thin lips. Talon shook his head slowly as Katarina looked on in confusion. "I-I'm fine. Anyways, I should get to my living quarters," he said as he continued walking down the hallway.

"Um, Talon? This is your living quarters." Katarina pointed to the door she had stopped in front of.

"A-ah. That's right. Of course." Talon mumbled as he hurriedly power walked back to his door. Fumbling with the knob before finally opening it, Talon suddenly turned around back towards Katarina. "W-would you like to stay for some tea?" he asked awkwardly, which was extremely rare for the usual cold and silent assassin.

Katarina looked surprised for a second before smiling and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, but I have a game soon. Legacy Summoner Faker has summoned me for one of his games and there is no way I can turn down his request. But perhaps I can after my game."

Talon straightened, "I'll be here then. I'll wait for you," he said in a definite tone.

"I look forward to it, then." Katarina said with a coy smile before closing his door and walking back towards the waiting area.

Talon shakily walked back towards his bed before collapsing in it, letting out his breath until his lungs burned before inhaling it all back in to clear his head. Standing back up, he cracked his knuckles. If Katarina was coming over tonight, he should at least clean up a bit. Just as he was about to start however, there was a knock on his door.

Talon was at the door before he even knew it, throwing it open. Looking disappointedly at the messenger at his door, Talon rolled his eyes. "What is that you have for me? Another game notice? A report? What is it?" he asked, the disappointment evident in his voice.

"Actually, it's something a little different." the young messenger said, her bright grey eyes sparkling as she presented Talon with a letter. "Our sources say that this was found in a cave a couple miles away from the capital of Ionia," she added.

"Who wrote it? Why does this have to do with me? The only person I am somewhat close to from Ionia lives here in the Champion Headquarters." Talon asked, getting gradually impatient.

The messenger sighed, as she pressed the letter in the assassins's hands before relaying the last bit of news.

"They said it's written by General Du Couteau."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Lieutenant, this is General Du Couteau. I will meet you at the village in two nights time by the Avarosan Iceflow Glacier. Prepare the scene."_

 _-Du Couteau_

The clock hand ticked by slowly, as the silence in Talon's room was so heavy one could feel it on their shoulders. His head was spinning as he reread the letter for nearly the hundredth time, a million thoughts racing through his mind all at once. The messenger had said no one else had read it except him before Talon had nearly slammed the door in her face.

This was the first form of any contact with Du Couteau that Talon had acquired for as long as he could remember. Tracing his finger over the frayed piece of paper, Talon felt a sense of relief and longing wash over him. "You're still alive, General." Talon whispered, the emotion evident in his voice.

Frowning at the last sentence, Talon eyes widened as he recalled Katarina describing her earliest memories of Du Couteau as him rescuing her from a burning village. Shaking his head as if to deny his own mind, the assassin hunched over. " _There was no way. It was impossible, right?"_ he thought.

A knock on his door made him jump, as he quickly stuffed the paper in his pocket. Standing up and walking over the door, Talon groaned.

"Messenger, I swear if you have another le-"

Talon's voice caught in his throat as he opened the door to a very confused Katarina.

"K-Katarina!" Talon stammered.

"That is my name, last time I checked." Katarina smirked.

Talon was about to reply when he remembered he had invited Katarina over for tea. He didn't realize how much time had passed ever since the messenger had brought him the letter.

"P-please, come in." Talon stepped aside as Katarina strolled in, closing the door behind her.

Katarina hummed as she sat down and watched Talon walk over to his cabinet and pull out his tea set, filling a small pot with water and flicking on the flame.

Sitting down across from her as he poured the hot water into her cup, Talon spoke up first. "How was your game?"

Katarina beamed so brightly, Talon felt as if he was looking directly at Leona. "I had my doubts at first, but Faker has once again proved himself the God of the Rift once again."

Talon tried not to snort at the name as he added the tea bag to their cups and set them across from her and him. "Is that what they call him nowadays?"

Katarina raised an eyebrow as she picked up her cup and took a sip. "You aren't jealous, are you now?" she asked as she set her cup back down.

The brown haired assassin almost spit out his tea. "W-what are you talking about?" he said in an angry tone to which Katarina laughed. As Talon watched Katarina laugh, he suddenly felt the same sense of peace and calm that he had felt back when they were walking together in the hallway.

A small grin broke across his face as he slowly joined her in her laughter. Massaging her now sore sides, Katarina lounged back in her chair. "It's been a while since I've heard you laugh. You had me worrying that something was seriously wrong with you these past couple days," she said as Talon grew quiet.

Sensing that something was off, Katarina leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "There isn't anything wrong, is there?" she asked seriously.

The letter in his pocket suddenly felt like it weighed a ton as Talon forced a smile on his face. "No, you're right. Nothing is wrong. I've just been feeling tired lately," he said in a weak tone as Katarina looked suspiciously at him before sighing heavily.

"W-well then, I should let you have your rest Thank you for the tea, this was a nice dose of nostalgia." Katarina smiled as she stood up from her chair and walked over the door. Talon stood up hurriedly and opened the door for her. "I'll see you around, Katarina." the assassin said as she nodded back at him and walked out of his room and down the warmly lit hallway.

Closing the door, Talon let his knees give way as he slid against the door until he sat weakly on the floor. Feeling around his pocket for the letter with shaking hands, Talon raised it to his sight of vision. If she had found out about it, Talon knew that she would go crazy to search for her father. But as elated as Talon was himself, his gut instinct told him that something didn't sound right, given the tone and context of the letter.

Rereading the letter again, Talon stopped on the words Avarosan Iceflow Glacier. Standing up and opening up his drawer, he pulled out a map of Runeterra. Tracing his finger along the icy paths of the Freijlord, Talon stopped at the Avarosan Iceflow Glacier. Recalling his memories as a traveling assassin, this was the Capital for the Avarosan Tribe.

 _"What would Du Couteau want from a small village in the middle of the Freijlord?"_ Talon thought as he let his mind wander.

Before he knew it, the ward clock called out midnight as he sat up groggily. Pulling off his shirt, Talon walked over to his bathroom sink and turned on the sink. Filling up his joined palms of cold water, he splashed his face as he gripped the edges of the sink, staring at his dripping reflection in the mirror.

Katarina was in a really good place right now, both mentally and psychologically. She had suffered through so much physical and emotional trauma and Talon had been there to witness it all. If he told her about Du Couteau, he would be giving up all the hard work and effort Katarina had done to get to where she is now.

Although no one could ever get Katarina to admit it, Talon knew her well enough that underneath the cold and murderous front, she was so happy to be at the Champion Headquarters with everyone.

Pushing himself away from the sink and drying his face with a towel, Talon felt a sense of guilt well up in him as he began to realize what he needed to do.

…

The heat of the morning sun waking her from her slumber, Katarina groggily got out of bed as she began her usual morning cleaning. Emerging from her room in a pair of gym shorts and a tank top, she made her way to Talon's room to ask him to work out with her.

Knocking on his door, she was puzzled when there came no reply almost immediately. Talon was always on high alert so he almost always answered within seconds. Cautiously opening his door and stepping inside, Katarina picked up a note that was lay on his bed.

"Gone for training. I'll be back soon."

The blunt and concise note stung Katarina a little. Normally, he would let her know of his travels or plans ahead of time. Blowing her hair to the side as she stomped out of his room, she almost crashed into Shen who had just happened to be passing in front of Talon's room.

"Watch it," Katarina snarled, her hands on her blades. But looking up at the impassive Eye of Twilight, she felt herself come back to her senses.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," she stammered as she dropped her hands, hanging them loosely by her sides.

Looking at her curiously, Shen's glowing golden eyes seemed unnerving before they softened. "Is everything alright?"

Katarina didn't talk to many people in the Champion Headquarters, only limiting her friendship to a few select people. Therefore, she had grown to act cold and close off her feelings towards anyone else. But something about Shen's voice was soothing and calming as she suddenly felt the urge to spill out everything she was thinking and feelings. Before she could even open her mouth to reply, a flash of white tackled Shen to the ground.

"Shen! I've been looking all over for you!" Ahri purred as Shen looked up at her tiredly.

"We've really got to work on your habit of tackling me." Shen groaned as he pushed Ahri off of him and stood up.

Throwing her arms around his waist, Ahri buried her head into his chest. "I got my second pentakill ever in my game just now, do you know what that means?" she looked up at him, the sparkles in her eyes visible to even Katarina.

Waving her hand to dismiss them, Katarina turned and began walking towards the gym for her training. Shen watched her go as Ahri looked up at him, noticing his gaze fixated on the retreating form of the assassin. Reaching up and squeezing his cheeks, Ahri looked at him lovingly.

"Shen dear, are you cheating on me?" the nine tailed fox said in an unnaturally sweet voice.

Shen turned his vision to Ahri, as he could literally feel the waves of dark magic swirling around her. Taking her in his arms, Shen brought her close to his chest. "I would never. I just sense a deep sense of confusion and imbalance within Katarina. She's changing in ways she isn't aware of," the ninja said quietly.

Pulling herself from his hug, Ahri glared at him. "Are you sure there isn't anything going on with you and her?"

Shen raised his hands in a surrendering stance to show his innocence. After a couple seconds, Ahri's harsh stare relaxed and she hugged him so tight that Shen could have sworn his ribs were broken.

Stroking her hair, Shen tilted his head in amusement. "Are you jealous?" he said in a light tone to which Ahri looked up at him suddenly, unable to mask the blush on her face.

"W-why would I be jealous? There is no reason why I should be jealous when there is nothing to be jealous over!" Ahri stammered.

Shen laughed, an occasion so rare that Ahri actually kept count of how many times she caught him laughing. "Stupid," she pouted as she nuzzled into his chest.

…

The harsh wind whistling in his ears, Talon pulled his snow operations hood tighter over his head. Aside from his normal outfit, Talon had designed a special suit that was designed to withstand extreme cold or heat. Glancing down the edge of the cliff he was waiting on, he could see an aerial view of the village.

Bringing out the letter from Du Couteau from his pocket, Talon reread it just to make sure before putting it back. It had been two nights since they found that letter, the messenger said, so the General was due here any minute.

As if on cue, Talon spotted a small squadron of soldiers arriving to the edge of the village, their torches giving them away. Talon summoned his ward watch, the time portraying it to be exactly midnight. The assassin vaulted down the cliff, expertly delaying his landing by driving his blade in the icy cliff. Rolling onto the ground without a sound, Talon darted behind a nearby rock, just out of the torches reach.

Peeking out from the cover of the rock, Talon felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw the General arrive on horseback. Du Couteau had gotten older, the wrinkles on his face more prominent, and his hair as white as the snow around them. Talon was just about to stand up from his cover and cry out to the only father figure he had ever known in his entire life when he heard the General speak.

His voice raspy and hoarse, the General spoke out to the small squadron of soldiers who were standing in front of him.

"Soldiers, this is the village of the Capital for the Avarosan Tribe. My spies have reported that there is a child born from two assassins. Their skill is not to be tampered with, and I suspect that this child can be raised into an excellent foot soldier for my army. This is no different from our countless other expeditions, so don't do anything you haven't done already. Set fire to the underground magic labs, and retreat until I give the signal. We have to make this look like we are coming in to save them from the "fire that was set off from an accident in the mage labs underground," understood?"

The soldiers nodded their eager understanding as Du Couteau sent them out.

Talon felt as if a wall of bricks had slammed against him. His entire world seemed to be spinning out of control as everything that he had come to believe and trust with his entire soul seemed to be torn out of his very existence within seconds.

 _"This isn't how things were supposed to go,"_ he screamed to himself in his mind.

He was supposed to finally see the General after all these years and bring him back to Katarina at the Champion Headquarters. That way, he could finally bring her the joy and a sense of security that no one else could provide to her but her father.

"Well then, let's not waste time. Begin the operation," the General ordered as the soldiers began filing out.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers turned towards the rock that Talon was hiding behind. "I sense someone is hiding there, let's check it out," the soldier said as he began making his way towards the rock.

Talon leaped out from the cover, hurling a shuriken which found its way into the soldier's shoulder as he stumbled back in pain.

"Hostiles! We were being spied on! Capture him at any cost!" the soldiers cried out as they brought out their weapons. Talon turned tail and fired his grappling hook at the cliff as he frantically began climbing upwards.

The soldiers aimed their weapons at the rapidly retreating form of the assassin before Du Couteau finally spoke. "Lower your weapons, he is out of your range."

Squinting at the form of the assassin just before he disappeared through a portal he conjured, Du Couteau suddenly felt a twitch of nostalgia in his heart. Shaking the feeling off, he turned back to the soldiers and ordered them to continue the operation.

Walking over to his horse, the General almost stepped on a crumbled piece of paper. Stooping down and picking it up, Du Couteau recognized this to be the letter that he had lost back in Ionia. Turning back towards the injured solider who was now resting in one of the infirmary beds, the General picked up the bloody shuriken which the doctors had extracted and placed in a container.

Studying the intricate styling of the blades, Du Couteau's eyes widened at a sudden flashback.

…

 _Katarina and Talon were standing side by side, hurling throwing knives at wooden dummies. However, only Katarina's dummy was covered in blades while Talon's only had a few._

 _The frustration in Talon's movements was clear, as he began throwing more recklessly as Katarina looked on in amusement._

 _Standing behind the two, Du Couteau studied Talon's throwing technique closely. Pulling out a shuriken exclusive to the Noxian High Command, the General knelt by Talon's side and handed him the shuriken instead._

 _"Try this one," Du Couteau said with a smile as Talon's eyes lit up eagerly. Taking the shuriken in his hand, Talon turned back towards the dummy, narrowing his eyes in concentration. His arm a blur, Talon stepped back with a deep breath as his practice dummy wobbled with a shuriken lodged directly in the middle of its head._

 _Patting Talon on the head as he stood back up, Du Couteau nodded his approval to the young assassin. "From now on Talon, you will bear the responsibility of welding the Noxian High Command weaponry. Consider this a great honor," the General said to which Talon saluted his allegiance._

 _…_

Now tracing his fingers over the blade's surfaces, Du Couteau looked back up at the cliff where the mysterious figure disappeared as a thought ran through his mind.

 _"Talon?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this story as I enjoy writing this one!**

 **Just one thing!**

 **I would really appreciate it if you left a review, positive or not.  
Believe it or not, it really helps me get to know what you guys think about the story so far, which is one of the things I enjoy knowing the most!**

 **That being said, enjoy Chapter 4!**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

Talon somersaulted neatly out of the portal, landing in the familiar portal room at the Champion Headquarters. After making sure he was completely safe, he let his knees give way from under him as he collapsed onto his palms and knees. His chest heaving as he felt his world spin, Talon squeezed his eyes shut as he kept replaying the scene and dialogue he had just witnessed in his mind.

Shaking his head in denial, Talon felt tears well up in his eyes the man that he had grown up to believe was the most righteous and gifted turned out to be a ruthless criminal, fabricating accidents so that he may recruit soldiers for his ever growing army.

Talon always knew that Du Couteau was obsessed with military, but he never would have suspected that him and Katarina, the two that he treated as his own children, would fall into that category of his agenda.

Suddenly, Talon heard footsteps approaching. Wiping his eyes and discarding his arctic ops outfit, replacing it with his usual outfit, he got to his feet just as Katarina walked into the portal room. Her eyes widening in surprise, Katarina pointed at him accusingly as Talon looked on in confusion.

"Where have you been?!" Katarina cried out.

"I've only been gone for a day." Talon replied curtly.

Narrowing her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her, Katarina pouted as Talon sighed sullenly before raising an eyebrow at her.

"What brings you into the portal room anyways?" he asked.

"I've been assigned a spying mission in the Freijlord. Apparently there has been a series of mysterious villages being burnt down and the Champion Headquarters wants to know why, especially Ashe." the red haired assassin replied as Talon paled.

He could not let her met Du Couteau in these circumstances. Katarina would be completely crushed. Thinking fast, he suddenly lurched over, clutching his stomach.

"A-are you alright?" Katarina asked in a slightly confused tone as she watched the assassin collapse to the floor, still clutching his stomach as if it were the most important thing in the world.

"I-I think my stomach has an infection." Talon lied, as Katarina sighed.

"Fine then, I'll call Akali over here and maybe she can-"

Talon suddenly sprung up and dusted himself off, much to Katarina's surprise.

"Amazing. What a miracle this is. The pain is gone, as if it were never there." Talon said in fake awe as Katarina looked on skeptically.

Pointing over her shoulder, Talon gasped in horror.

Rolling her eyes at the now obvious tricks, Katarina turned her head around simply to amuse the assassin.

Talon took off at a running start, attempting to knock Katarina unconscious so that he may prevent her from taking on this mission. But a bit of ice was still stuck to his boot, causing him to instead slip and tackle Katarina to the ground as she cried out in surprise.

His face burying itself into her chest, it only took a second for Talon to realize the position he was in. Instantly lifting his head out, Talon was about to apologize before he saw Katarina's expression.

Her face bright red, Katarina glared up from underneath Talon as she lay with her arms above her head in a submissive position, her hair lying spread around her head, the soft lights from the portals reflecting off it.

Katarina opened her mouth to make a comment but something seemed to register in her mind as she slowly closed her mouth and stared up at the man she had grown up with ever since they were young. His dark red eyes were piercing as always, but they seemed to suddenly soften a great deal as they locked eye contact.

Before Talon could stop himself, he absently traced a finger down her slim face, outlining her cheek and down to her neck as Katarina felt a small thrill go up her spine. A small gasp escaped her mouth, drawing Talon closer to her thin lips as Katarina squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation for what was about to happen.

Their faces so close that Talon could feel Katarina's breath against his lips. But just before they made contact, the assassin suddenly pulled away, pushing himself off of her and stepping out of the portal room without a word or second glance.

Katarina opened her eyes slowly, as she kicked a feeling of disappointment out of her mind that she could have sworn wasn't there before. Sitting up slowly as she massaged her temples, Katarina let out a deep breath as she tried to comprehend what just almost happened. Running a finger across her lips, Katarina's face turned bright red once more as she realized how close Talon actually was only a couple minutes ago.

Shakily getting to her feet as she brushed herself off, Katarina glanced down at her wrist mounted scanner that notified her of her mission. Looking back at the portal, the assassin suddenly felt her heart pull her away from it.

Closing her eyes, Katarina tried to picture how she would carry about her mission. Instead, the image of Talon and her about to kiss came back to her head. Shaking her head slowly, Katarina groaned in frustration as she notified her scanner that she would be cancelling the mission.

Stomping out of the portal room, Katarina went straight to her room and slammed the door. Throwing herself onto her bed, Katarina stared up at the ceiling as she suddenly felt the urge to see Talon. Flipping over onto her stomach, the assassin buried her face into her pillows as she kicked her legs in frustration at this new and foreign emotion.

 _"That idiot! What was he even trying to go for that entire time?! What's wrong with him! That aggressiveness was so unusual, especially for him. Idiot! Pervert! I should have kicked him in the nuts when I had the chance."_ Katarina seethed in her mind as she came up for air.

Hugging the pillow close to her as she lay on her side, Katarina felt a rare blush rise up to her cheeks.

 _"Does…he have feelings for me?"_

The thought lingered in her mind before she caught herself and flung the pillow at the wall angrily. Running a hand through her hair in exasperation, Katarina decided that a long bath would help soothe her mind. Stepping into her bathroom and closing the door behind her, she let her clothes fall to the ground after turning on the water to the tub.

Sinking into the warm water, Katarina breathed a sigh of ecstasy as she felt all the muscles in her body loosen and her mind clear. Closing her eyes as she stretched her body out in the water, Katarina let her mind wander, only to find herself thinking about Talon again. Opening her eyes as she felt her face warm up, the assassin splashed her face with water before sinking back into her thoughts.

 _"I wonder what was going through his mind back there."_

…

 _"What the hell were you thinking? What the hell is wrong with you? What the hell were you doing? What the hell?!"_

Talon's fist smashed through what was now the twenty fifth training dummy, as he continued screaming and seething to himself for what a moron he was in his mind.

As another Teemo-like training dummy appeared in front of him, he reared back to deliver a killing blow to the fake yordle before he sensed a presence in the Training Arena. Lowering his fist as he turned around, Talon was surprised to find Akali leaning against the entrance, her stare fixated on him.

"Your form is so off, I couldn't help but watch," the dark haired ninja said.

"I appreciate the audience. But the show is over." Talon replied sourly as he began walking towards the exit.

"Did something happen between you and Katarina?"

Akali's voice made Talon stop dead in his tracks as he slowly turned around to face her.

"What made you think of such a dumb question?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

The ninja shrugged. "Your behavior reminds me of when I was trying to come to terms with my feelings for Zed. A lot of pain, questioning, and reflection. Actions truly do speak louder than words."

Now she had his attention as Talon crossed his arms, studying the ninja.

Akali had always been a quiet observer in the Champion Headquarters, always opting for solitude over company, as many of the ninjas and assassins did. But after discovering her feelings for Zed, and his for her, the two had blossomed to the point where others believed that the real Zed and Akali had disappeared and were replaced by the current two.

The same went for Shen and Ahri. While Ahri had always been known as one of the liveliest Champions in the entire Headquarters, Shen had been known as one of the broodiest. But now together, Shen had undergone a transformation that everyone applauded him for.

Talon opened his mouth to reply but suddenly lost his words as his eyes fell upon the training dummy, completely covered in blades and knives, bringing up that night when Katarina broke down in front of him. He was always taught to protect people with fighting and weapons, but seeing Katarina so vulnerable in front of him yet being able to do nothing made him feel helpless.

Losing all his adrenaline from before, Talon felt his knees go weak and would have collapsed onto the ground if Akali hadn't dashed over and caught him. Setting him on the ground gently, Akali sat down next to him as Talon stared up at the open ceiling.

"I think I have feelings for her."

The bluntness of Talon's words made Akali smile underneath her mask. She loved it when she was right.

"I never have felt like this before, but I want to protect her and make her happy. All these years, I've watched her suffer alone while I couldn't do anything but stand along the sidelines, unable to help in any way. But now…I want to be the one who can make her happy." Talon whispered, his voice wavering from the emotion behind his words.

Akali nodded as Talon, unable to stop himself, began pouring out his pent up words and feelings as Akali listened on.

…

Akali suddenly snapped awake, as she blinked her dark red eyes. Her vision coming to focus, she turned her head to see Talon on the ground, completely knocked out. Remembering that she had fallen asleep amidst the hours of Talon talking, Akali shakily stood up and stretched outwards before realizing that it was three in the morning after looking at her watch.

"Boo."

Zed's husky voice in her ear made her instinctively flip around and drive her fist towards his face before she realized that it was him. Zed's expression remained stoic even with Akali's fist barely touching his nose.

"S-sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Besides, you scared me! What are you even doing here?" Akali said angrily as she pulled her fist away, slightly embarrassed that she had let her guard down.

Zed blinked. "I simply came to check up on you, as you have been gone for a while."

"I was walking past the Training Arena when I saw Talon training in there. Except that his movements were erratic, not like his normal style. I suspected it due to a complication between him and Katarina and I turned out to be right." Akali sighed as Zed raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Well now that you are done being Talon's personal therapist, I would very much like it if we both retired to our room." Zed replied as Akali nodded sleepily.

"What about him?" Akali gestured towards the sleeping form of Talon on the Training Arena ground.

"Leave him be, once he falls asleep, nothing can wake him." Zed chucked as he took her hand and led her out of the Training Arena and down the dimly lit hallway.

Watching the two ninjas leave, the shadowy figure appeared once again against the outline of the moon, floating in the air as it drifted down to the ground to stand next to Talon.

Reaching down an armored hand, the figure reached towards Talon's arm. But it jerked away a second before several kunai blades flew above Talon's body and pierced into the wall. Turning its stare from where the blades came from, its shadowy face gave nothing away at the sight of Katarina.

"Stay away from him." Katarina hissed as she drew her signature blades. The commotion finally brought Talon awake as he slowly opened his eyes to a figure of darkness standing above him, facing off Katarina. The last thing he remembered was talking to Akali before passing out from exhaustion.

 _"How did things end up like this? What is going on?"_ Talon thought frantically as he slowly inched himself away from the figure.

But suddenly, his blades scraped the floor, drawing the figure's attention towards him. Seeing an opening, Katarina hurled her blade at the figure as she charged at it. Without even glancing at her, the figure drew a glowing blade from underneath its cloak and literally sliced her incoming blade clean in half. Shrugging off her surprise, Katarina lunged forward, slicing downwards at the figure. Turning to face her, the figure easily deflected her strike and disarmed her.

Before she could roll backwards out of its weapon range, Katarina felt the bite of cold steel into her stomach. Stumbling backwards slowly, Katarina felt her stomach before lifting her shaking hands to her vision. The red glistened in the moonlight as she felt her warm blood begin to spill out from the fresh slash on her stomach.

Talon froze as he watched Katarina crumble to the ground, unconscious. Everything began to fade out, the only thing remaining in focus was Katarina's body as the blood began to pool out from around her.

Turning towards the figure, Talon's eyes burned with rage as he drew his blades.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID, YOU MONSTER!" he screamed as he sprinted towards the figure. The figure appeared to not move until the last possible second, easily ducking Talon's blades and delivering a swift but powerful uppercut which effectively knocked the assassin unconscious.

Pulling out a pair of chains complete with a lock, the figure managed the lock Talon up and fly off with his unconscious body through the open ceiling just as several Champions and Summoners rushed into the Training Arena.

"Someone! Call the medic team and open up a room immediately!" Shen ordered as several Champions nodded and dashed off to find the medical team, the gasps and whispers of horror began to circulate through the growing crowd.

Kneeling next to Katarina, Ahri summoned some of her healing magic to slow down the bleeding. "What happened here?" she asked in a distraught tone.

"I don't know. Talon had fallen asleep here and we just thought it would be the best option to leave him be." Zed replied before realizing that the assassin was gone.

Seeing the realization click in his eyes, Shen shook his head. "Regardless of what happened, we have a patient on our hands and she is in bad shape. Perhaps she will know what happened if she wakes," he said grimly.

"I-if?" Akali stammered.

Ahri strained as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "This cut is no ordinary cut, the blade seemed to be coated in some sort of poison and it's counteracting my healing magic, making it extremely difficult to heal her."

Before Shen could reply, the medic team arrived and Katarina was taken away to a stretcher as Shen prepared his medical attire.

Ahri collapsed, her energy spent as Akali supported her. "I-I did what I could, but I could literally feel her life force fading away. If only I could had more power, then maybe I could have saved her." Ahri whispered sorrowfully, tears forming in her golden eyes.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Zed knelt in front of her. "You did your very best, which is more than enough of a start for my brother. Shen is a medical genius, as he has performed many miracles that many thought were impossible. Together, we will save her and figure this through."

Akali and Ahri nodded in agreement as the crowd began to disperse, everyone on guard now. It was both rare and forbidden to attack anyone with the intention to kill outside of the Summoners Rift. But for someone to be able to attack and put someone as skilled as Katarina in such a state was definitely not from the Rift. Jarvan IV had announced that there would be a meeting for the entire Champion Headquarters to figure out what happened.

…

The heat against Talon's cheeks jolted him awake, his eyes flying open to the sight of a bonfire in front of him, its embers trailing upwards into the night sky.

Trying to move his hands, Talon realized that both his ankles and hands were heavily locked up with various chains. Struggling against them furiously, the assassin suddenly froze as he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. Straining to turn his head to see who it was, Talon's eyes widened as he saw that it was the same shadowy figure who attacked him and Katarina back at the Champion Headquarters.

"You again?! I'll kill you! I'll break free and rip you apart! I'll-"

Talon's words died in his throat as the shadowy figure stepped to the side, revealing General Du Couteau standing behind him. Now that he was up close, Talon could make out various new scars traced along the General's face.

"It has been some time." Du Couteau said in a sorrowful voice, his expression softening a great deal at the sight of one of his first proteges.

"Ge-General…" Talon was at a loss for words before suddenly snapping out of it. "General! This figure attacked Katarina and I! She's gravely injured! You have to let me go and help me find her! She will definitely make it through if she knows you are by her side! I-" Du Couteau raised his hand and shook his head as Talon came to a stop, pits of fear beginning to unravel in his stomach.

"Oh Talon, it is so unlike you for the care so much for a person, let alone Katarina. I thought I had raised you to become a stone cold killer. After all, that's all I expected out of you and her," the General sighed as he ran a hand through his snow white hair.

"Since I now know that it was you who spied on our most recent expedition in the Freijlord, you probably know of my plans now, don't you?" Du Couteau asked almost lazily.

Talon swallowed, refusing to believe what he was hearing. "G-general, you simply disappeared on us when we were little. We waited for your return but ended up going to the Champion Headquarters to join the League of Legends. B-but from what I heard, is it true? Did you stage those accidents at various villages? Why?!" Talon's voice trembled with rage and disbelief.

Gesturing to the figure next to him, the General chuckled. "You were always a bright one, even as a little boy when I found you scrapping trash off alleys. I did stage those accidents, in order to flush out all the weak and let the strong remain. I never told you Talon, but before you and Katarina, I had a family. A beautiful wife and a young daughter. But through the terrors of war, they were lost to me and waved off as simple casualties of war by the Noxian High Command. I now have built up an army of magic infused soldiers and assassins strong enough to crush the High Command and eventually the entire world!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the sky.

Talon shook his head, all this information swimming around in his head, threatening to break his mind in half. Literally everything that he had come to believe was coming crashing back down on him. Feeling the strength leave his body, Talon collapsed limply onto the ground as the General knelt in front of him.

"However, out of all the assassins, you and Katarina were among my top skilled fighters and there is nothing more that I would like than to have you two by my side, just like old times. What do you say?" Du Couteau said gently as Talon shakily looked up at him.

"You killed her parents and her entire village. You lied to us about our entire lives. You were our father but now I see the truth. You are nothing but a lunatic, driven mad by the loss of family and bend on nothing but pointless vengeance." Talon hissed.

The General's expression turned dark as he motioned the figure behind him. "I really hoped it wouldn't end like this, Talon." Du Couteau said in a low voice.

The figure effortlessly lifted Talon up and activated a magical seal, lifting up a invisibility cloak that had been covering an entire valley below them. Rows and rows of soldiers filled up the land, with a makeshift military base set up. Teleporting themselves to the main base, the figure took Talon down several flights of dark stairs underground before coming to a dark and damp room full of skeletons and prison cells.

Dumping Talon into one of the cells and activating the magic lock, the figure turned and left without a word as Talon's chains finally came undone. Rubbing his sore wrists, Talon slumped against the wall as he felt tears running down his eyes.

 _"There is no way. There is no way that this is happening. This has to be a bad dream, right? Where I can just wake up and find everyone waiting for me at the Champion Headquarters. There is no way…"_

Talon lost track of time as those words repeated themselves through his head. He didn't even notice the shadowy figure was standing in front of his cell until it banged on the door, startling him out of the doze he had drifted in.

"The General wants to know everything you know about the Champion Headquarters. It's so called Champions and the infrastructure of the entire Headquarters. We believe it could serve as our future base of operations for the revolution of our new world," the shadowy figure whispered in a deep voice.

Snorting as he stood up, Talon raised an eyebrow at the figure. "Like hell I would tell the likes of you anything," he growled.

Pulling its hood off to reveal a mangled and deranged face, the figure's mouth stretched into an unnatural smile as he summoned an operating table, complete with various torture tools and weaponry.

"That's just the kind of answer I wanted to hear," the figure grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly, I apologize for the hiatus. It was unexpected and I didn't mean to stray away from writing for so long.**

 **Second, I am back now with no intention of having that long of a period of inactivity for that long again.**

 **Third, as always, enjoy this latest chapter for Live and Let Die! :)**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

Shen stared impassively at the heart monitor machine that was hooked up to Katarina, who lay unconscious on the hospital bed. Her wound was patched up, thanks to the combined efforts of Ahri's healing magic and his medical prowess as a doctor.

It was noon, but Shen had stayed up all night making sure that Katarina's condition stayed stable. A small knock on the door turned his attention to Akali, who was holding a cup filled with steaming green tea.

"You should get some rest. I brought this for you, you really look like you need it." Akali said softly as she handed him the cup.

Taking the cup and feeling its reassuring warmth in his hand, Shen removed his surgical mask and took a small sip of the tea. Leaning his head back and breathing a long sigh of relief, the ninja turned to look at Akali.

"Thank you."

Akali nodded before turning her attention towards Katarina.

"Nothing yet?" she asked worriedly.

Shen shook his head. "The poison was extremely taxing on her, she needs all the rest she can get."

Akali was about to reply before a ball of white flashed past her and crashed into Shen, knocking him to the ground and sending the tea flying.

Placing her palms on his chest, Ahri stared down at him triumphantly, her nine tails flicking mischievously.

"You've been up all night, look terrible, and need to eat. I have come to bring you back to our room and I'll fix you right up!" Ahri said in a sweet tone as Shen groaned and let his head rest on the floor in defeat.

"Fine," Shen muttered as he moved out from under Ahri and shakily got to his feet before nearly collapsing again if it wasn't for Ahri catching him. Straining underneath his muscular physique, Ahri managed to help him out of the room and down the hallway.

Shaking her head, smiling underneath her mask, Akali turned back towards Katarina. The two never really talked, Akali saw a lot of herself in Katarina. The isolation, the complete loss when confronted with unfamiliar emotions.

Sitting down in the chair next to the hospital bed, Akali let her thoughts wander as the minutes began ticking by.

…

A small murmur stirred Akali out of the doze she had fallen into. Rubbing her eyes to clear her vision, she was surprised to see Katarina's green eyes slowly opening. Groaning softly, Katarina tried to lift herself into a sitting position as Akali jumped out of her seat to help her.

Nodding her thanks before leaning against the wall behind her bed with a sigh, Katarina slowly looked down at her stomach, wincing as she ran a finger across the bandaged cut before looking back up to Akali urgently.

"W-where is Talon?" she asked feebly.

"He was gone when we found you. But more importantly, how are you feeling?" Akali asked in a soft voice.

Katarina rubbed her temples. "Terrible, if I'm going to be honest. I feel as if Teemo had shot me several times with his annoying poison darts."

Akali smiled. "You were very resilient to fight off the poison. The attacker had his blade coated in a very deadly poison. But thankfully, Ahri and Shen were able to heal you back up."

"I guess I owe them my thanks, and you as well." Katarina muttered as Akali nodded back.

"I know this may be a bit soon, but do you remember anything that happened on the night you were attacked?" Akali asked quietly as Katarina's expression darkened.

The flashes of Talon underneath the hooded figure. Its armored hand reaching for his throat. The scrapes and flashes of metal from their brief skirmish. The piercing of her skin and the warmth of her blood running through her hands. The flashes of memory made Katarina wince visibly.

"Are you okay?" Akali asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I just remember a dark figure reaching for Talon as if it were trying to kill him. I fought it but it defeated me without much effort. And you say that he was gone when you found me?" Katarina asked almost desperately.

Akali nodded sorrowfully. "All hope is not lost though. Some of our spies have reported that he is still alive and is being held captive. We have already set up a meeting for the entire Champion Headquarters to investigate and develop possible rescue plans." Akali said reassuringly.

Katarina sighed and smiled back at the ninja. But in her mind, she already knew that the process would take days, maybe even weeks. By that time, the spies might not be able to keep up on Talon's whereabouts. Talon could get hurt, or worst. She had to devise a plan to rescue him and-

"Katarina?"

Akali's voice brought Katarina out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Y-yes, what is it?" she stuttered.

Narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her chest, Akali sat back in her chair. "You are required to attend the meeting as the only source of first person information we have from the scene. Whatever you can remember are the only leads we have with this case."

Averting her eyes from the piercing stare of the Fist of Shadows, Katarina looked down and absently rubbed her arm. "I understand," she mumbled softly as Akali's stare softened.

"We will find him and bring him back. I promise." Akali said in a comforting voice as she placed her hands on top of Katarina's.

Looking up at the ninja, Katarina nodded sullenly.

"Since you just woke up, you must be hungry. I'll go grab some food for you." Akali said as she stepped out of the room to which Katarina smiled and nodded her thanks.

As Katarina watched Akali exit the room, she dropped her force smile and felt her emotions rise up in her stomach like a wildfire. Before she could stop it, tears were forming at her eyes and falling down onto her bedsheets.

Clutching the sheets tightly in her fists, Katarina squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the tears fall down her face. The only thing she could think of was Talon, all alone in the dark without anyone to hear or help him. She was so helpless and useless that she felt she had no purpose of existence in this world.

"K-Katarina?"

Akali's voice made Katarina's eyes fly open in shock as she saw the female ninja looking at her, concern showing through her red eyes.

"I-I'm fine." Katarina mumbled as she wiped her eyes with her sleeves.

"Talon will be fine. We will find him and bring him back home to all of us. Just you wait." Akali said reassuringly as Katarina nodded in fierce agreement.

…

"You're persistent. Even more fun for me," the figure grinned as he turned back towards Talon, wielding a staff that crackled with electricity.

Talon was hoisted up, a magic rope binding his hands above his head as he stared back at the shadowy figure. His cloak was torn off, revealing the numerous slashes and marks inflicted onto his bare skin. Talon's eyes filled with rage wavered for a second as he felt pain rack through his body, coughing out violently as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Ohh. I can feel your emotion resonating from you like a sonic wave. Quite overwhelming, if you ask me. But I-"

"Do you have a name?" Talon's voice cut like a blade through the figure's sentence. After a while of stunned silence, the figure's face spread into a disfigured smile as he twirled the staff expertly in his hands.

"My name is Hafiz, if you must know," he replied.

Talon smirked. "Now I know what to spell out on your body with your blood after I cut you into countless pieces."

Hafiz's expression turned from a grin to rage as he thrust the staff against Talon's bare stomach, arcs of blue electricity racing through Talon's body as his screams filled the underground chamber.

…

"I thought the underground chambers were soundproof," Du Couteau grumbled as he and his assistant walked throughout the makeshift military camp that they had set up.

"I am very sorry sir, we will get it checked up on," the nervous assistant whispered quickly to which Du Couteau waved a hand in annoyance.

"Never mind that. Have we any news on the Champion Headquarters?" the General asked.

"As expected, Talon refuses to speak."

"I see. Then I will go down there and personally extract that information from that wretch," he said as he opened up the door to the underground chamber and began descending the multiple flights of stairs.

"Any progress?" Du Couteau's voice echoed throughout the torture chambers as Hafiz came skittering out to meet the General in the hallway.

"I-I'm very sorry sir, but it seems that his lips are sealed tight."

Du Couteau grinned. "We'll see about that."

Pushing the man aside, Du Couteau strolled into the Talon's private room to find that Talon was nowhere to be seen, as the operating table was empty.

Dropping down from the ceiling where he was perched, Talon aimed a devastating blow to Du Couteau's head. But without even turning to look at him, Du Couteau easily blocked his fist and sidestepped so that Talon was forced to somersault onto the floor.

"How did you escape?!" Hafiz cried out in both dismay and anger.

"I was taught by a once honorable man," Talon snarled, clearly directing the comment to the General, who laughed in amusement.

Without waiting another second, Talon darted forward in a blur, driving his fist towards Du Couteau's chest. But his fist only met the gloved palm of the General, as Du Couteau grabbed Talon's fist and yanked him forward while bringing up a knee to Talon's chin.

Talon barely had time to pull his tongue back into his mouth before his lower jaw snapped up to collide painfully with his upper jaw. Without letting go of Talon, the General tossed the limp form of Talon up in the air and delivered such a powerful kick that it sent Talon through the concrete wall in an explosion of powder and cinders.

Rolling painfully to a stop in his already broken form, Talon groaned as he tried to get up. His heart beating in his ears and blood dripping from his mouth, his thoughts began to fade in and out through the haze of pain.

"If you will not tell us where this Headquarters of yours is, then you are of no use to me anymore. This does not bring me pleasure, but I must do what needs to be done to pave the path for a new world." Du Couteau said grimly as he picked Talon up by the neck.

His strength leaving him, Talon could only hold himself up from the General's grip as he felt his mind and vision start the fade through the haze of pain.

Then suddenly, everything cleared and he saw a familiar flash of red. Suddenly he was released from the General's grip and found himself held up in the arms of none other than Katarina.

The General stumbled back, as a cut from Katarina's blades opened up on his arm. Blinking in confusion as Hafiz crumbled behind him, the General looked on at Katarina in awe.

"Katarina? Is that really you?"

Her green eyes piercing, Katarina tightened her grip on Talon's limp body.

"The one and only. I don't know what happened to drive you to do these crimes, but I will personally see that you pay for them," she hissed as she darted past the General with Talon in her arms before Du Couteau could even blink.

Turning around to face the exit where she vanished through, Du Couteau examined the cut that she had inflicted.

"So brave, yet so foolish" Du Couteau's expression darkened with rage as he drew twin swords that were holstered to his back.

"Ka-Kat, get out of here. You can't fight him." Talon whispered weakly.

Katarina glared at the General one last time before vanishing in thin air along with Talon.

Hissing with anger, Du Couteau switched on his radio. "All units, prepare for the taking of the Champion Headquarters!" His voice boomed across the speakers set up across the entire camp as waves of armored soldiers and monsters shook the very Earth with their chants for blood.


	6. Chapter 6

With the wind whistling in his ears, Talon had a hard time focusing as he tried to register what had just happened to him in his head. Du Coutea, a figure whom he had looked up to his entire life had just turned to his greatest enemy within such a short period of time.

Not only that, but now he was hellbent on apparently overrunning and taking control of the Champion Headquarters.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Talon leaped to the next tree branch only to feel a burst of pain shoot through his body. Stumbling as he clutched his wounds, Talon braced himself for the inevitable impact of the ground.

But suddenly he was flying upwards, and realized that Katarina had scooped him in her arms as she continued leaping from branch to branch.

His face reddening in embarrassment, Talon tried to protest before a glare from Katarina silenced any thoughts of doing so. He remained quiet for a while until Katarina finally spoke.

"Are you okay?", she asked. Talon looked up at her in surprise, and could see small tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm okay." Talon muttered in response, feeling a pit of guilt and anger opening up in his stomach.

Some assassin he had grown up to be. He let emotion get the better of him and had resulted in the advancement of Du Couteau's timetable to take the Champion Headquarters. Not only had he caused chaos in the Headquarters, but he had worried his friends at his absence.

Before he could say anything else, Katarina stopped moving and he felt something warm and wet against his body. Glancing down, his eyes widened at the sight of a small cut opening up on Katarina's exposed stomach, due to her usual uniform.

"Y-your stomach. You're wounded." Talon said in disbelief, as it had been a while since he's since someone land a hit on Katarina that severely.

Tearing off a bit of cloth and tying it around her stomach, Katarina gritted her teeth as they continued slowly trudging through the forest until they had arrived at the Champion Headquarters. Getting to his own two feet, Talon limped his way with the help of Katarina to the entrance.

Throwing open the doors, Talon was surprised to find absolutely no one in the entire halls. Glancing up and down the immense halls, Katarina tilted her head in confusion at the absence of Summoners and Champions alike.

"Where is everyone?" Talon wheezed, his breathing becoming labored from his wounds.

Katarina carefully helped him down the hallways until they reached the Training Arena where they both stood in the entrance in shock.

All the champions who were residing in the Champion Headquarters were all inside individual glass tubes, with one glowing stone attached to each capsule in a small opening. Multiple tubes attached to the stone were grafted to each of the champions as they all seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness.

Summoners, all tiers from Challenger down to the new recruits were walking up and down the rows of champion capsules, writing down notes and occasionally making small adjustments to the glowing stones.

The stones had different colors and glowing names etched into them, depending on the Champion capsule they were fitted into.

The stone labeled Domination burned with pure red energy, threatening to blow anything out of it's way. Precision glowed with a sharp yellow light, indicating complete and utter accuracy in crippling opponents. Rays of light blue beams spilled out of the small rotating hextech core of the Inspiration stone, contrary to the unrelenting and unwavering hue of the green stone named Resolve. Lastly, arcs of blue lightning crawled across the Sorcery stone.

"W-what is this?!" Katarina gasped, drawing the attention of several Summoners who finally began to notice them.

Talon felt an overwhelming sense of dread seep into the back of his head.

Were they too late? Did Du Couteau already enslave all the Champions and make the Summoners his slaves?

Before he could even think to draw his blade, a Summoner walked up to him with his hands held up in a surrendering gesture.

"Talon, I understand that this is a lot, but let me explain," the Summoner said in a reassuring voice as Talon slowly relaxed.

"We have begun the start of the 8th Season of the Champion Headquarters, and with this we have attained new powers beyond your imagination. Thanks to Quinn and Valor, whom have managed to scout out what has happened to you, we have begun preparations for the army of Du Couteau earlier which would allow us to be ready when they arrive," the Summoner said nervously, sensing mounting doubt in Katarina and Talon.

"Your wounds will heal and you will be reborn with power beyond your imagination!" the Summoner said, his eyes nearly sparkling in excitement. After exchanging nervous looks, Katarina and Talon allowed the Summoners to separate them and lead them to capsules positioned right next to each other.

Ushering the two hesitant assassins to their individual capsules, several Summoners quickly brought out glowing stones and fitted them into the openings built into the capsules. Glancing from his tube, Talon locked eyes with Katarina from her tube.

"See you on the other side," Katarina smirked to which Talon rolled his eyes.

Tubes with needles at the ends then snaked out and inserted themselves into their arms and legs. Talon felt the sting of pain before a sleepiness took over and then everything went black.

…

Du Couteau's army had made good progress in the few hours that they were given after Talon and Katarina had made their escape. His soldiers were equipped with empowered weapons, supplied by powerful mages throughout Runeterra.

With both a numbers and power advantage, the General had no doubts in his heart that adding the Champion Headquarters to his growing collections of conquered lands would be a walk in the park.

He had done his research on all the Champions and was both physically and mentally prepared to snuff anyone out who got into his way.

Finally, his army cleared the forest and they arrived at the valley that was before the entrance to the Champion Headquarters. They began making their way through the valley and were closing in on the entrance when Du Couteau suddenly raised his hand and his army slowly came to a halt behind him.

Before he could blink, several shadows dashed out of the trees above them and zoomed down onto his army. After several flashes of metal, five dead Summoners collapsed to the ground, their bodies nearly cut into shreds from the soldier's blades.

Snorting in annoyance, Du Couteau turned his sight towards the entrance of the Champion Headquarters, which was now within sight. Opening his arms out wide, the General took in a deep breath.

"CHAMPIONS! Did you really think a few scrawny Summoners would prove a problem for my soldiers? Come out and I'll make your deaths quick and painless before I turn your beloved home into my new headquarters!"

A couple minutes of silence pass by, only the whistling wind being the only sound audible.

His soldiers shifted uneasily, their armor and weapons clanking together.

Du Couteau's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He opened his mouth to call the Champions out once more but before he could utter a single word, an explosion of pure power blew the doors of the entrance open.

As the smoke cleared, the General's eyes widened at the sight that was now standing in front of him.

All the Champions were assembled together, each and every single one of them literally glowing with power that rippled through their ranks. Different hues of energy seemed to radiate according to each of the Champion's individual fighting styles that they preferred.

Standing in front of them all, Talon and Katarina stood together, blades drawn and their eyes fierce. Both of them had been completely healed from the capsules, so they were both ready for the inevitable battle.

"This invasion stops here, Father. I don't know your reasons behind this, but I know that you aren't this kind of person. Please, stop this and call of your army," Talon said almost painfully, the anger and sorrow mixing in his voice at the action of standing against the only father figure he's ever known in his whole life.

Katarina reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Talon looked down at their hands, then back at Katarina, who gave him a small smile. Nodding back at her, Talon turned back towards Du Couteau.

After of a couple minutes of shock and silence, Du Couteau threw his head back and laughed, the peals of laughter filling the air. His laughs slowly subsided as the uneasy silence filled the air once again.

Glaring suddenly up at them with an expression neither Talon or Katarina have ever seen before, the General clenched his fists.

"You'll never understand my reasoning. You've never known me so don't spare me your false pity. Enough talk, your doom is today along with your beloved home," Du Couteau sealed as he signaled his army to charge.

Katarina sighed as the massive army began marching forward towards them at a rapidly increasing pace. Turning back to look at the rows of Champions assembled, she took a deep breath.

"Alright everyone, time to fight for a living. Put your grudges with one another aside for now, this is our home and we will defend it to our last breath together!" she cried as chants of support sounded throughout their ranks.

Their weapons and powers at ready, the army of Champions moved forward as one to begin one of the biggest battles in the history of Runeterra.


	7. Chapter 7

**Appreciate those around you, tell your feelings to them because you never know when they may disappear from your life forever.**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

The valley before the Champion Headquarters was a vast area, usually used for festivals such as the Blood Moon Festival. But now, it was turning into a complete bloodbath.

Du Couteau's soldiers were formidable, trained and hardened by years of unrelenting battles and victories. But nothing had prepared them for the newly powered Champions and their newfound powers.

Hecarim charged through their ranks, cleaving anyone unlucky enough to get in his way completely in half. Annie, Gnar, and Teemo all rode on his broad back, throwing whatever they could at passing soldiers, leaving a path of burned, battered, and poisoned soldiers in Hecarim's already destructive wake.

Nasus swung at several soldiers until finally a big group of them managed to tackle him down. Immediately, more soldiers poured in and began piling on top of him. Soon, he disappeared underneath the masses of soldiers that were now trying to pin him down.

Then small rays of blue light began glowing from underneath them and Nasus burst out in his fully ascended form, completely disintegrating the soldiers into piles of sand.

Not so far away, Renekton was just finishing chomping down on a soldier when he saw his brother in arms rise above the masses in his empowered form. Growling in frustration, Renekton summoned the power of Shurima and rose up too in his ascended form.

"You will not outdo me here, Nasus!" Renekton snarled to which Nasus chuckled in amusement.

Focusing his connection the Void, Kassadin channeled his ultimate ability, teleporting all over the valley, stabbing and cutting soldiers down with his seemingly infinite mana pool. However, an explosion turned his attention towards a missile flying in towards him.

Activating his Stopwatch, Kassadin turned temporarily invulnerable as the missile flew past him and exploded into the ranks of soldiers who had gathered behind him.

Jhin fired his shot perfectly as usual, the bullet finding its mark exactly in the middle of a soldier's head. Yellow energy seeped through him after his shot, giving Jhin a burst of speed.

Sneaking up behind him, a soldier thrust his blade towards Jhin's back, only to have Jhin vanish in thin air. The solider blinked in confusion before he faintly registered the steaming edge of Jhin's gun pressed against the back of his head.

"Your art is simply not enough to keep up with me." Jhin whispered before firing and downing the unfortunate soldier.

Another solider managed to dodge Ezreal's energy bolt and then quickly somersaulted, firing off an energy bolt of his own. Ezreal tried to dodge it but the bolt still managed to find its way to his shoulder, grazing it lightly and causing him to cry out in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

The solider reloaded his gun slowly as he walked towards Ezreal, eager to put an end to this Champion. Just as he was about to fire however, the soldier suddenly felt three overwhelming murderous instincts coming from behind him.

Turning around slowly, he was greeted with the sight of an extremely angry Lux, Zoe, and Taric. Lux's usual smile was replaced with a murderous grin as she clutched her staff tightly, its power threatening to explode. Zoe wasn't laughing anymore and was bouncing several balls of magic energy in her hand silently. Taric's hammer was gripped so tightly that his knuckles were white as his gemstones began sharpening into blades.

"What do you think you're doing?" All three of them said in an unnaturally quiet tone.

The soldier looked them over, unimpressed as he brought out his gun.

"A lady, a kid and a stone man? Du Couteau really overestimated the Headquarters," he smirked.

Lux, Zoe, and Taric all looked at each other and gave a nod.

The explosion that followed drew the attention of almost everyone on the battlefield, as the bits of what remained of the soldier rained down on everyone around them.

Through all the chaos and fighting that was happening around him, Talon found himself in complete awe at the tornado that was Katarina. She was a blur of blades, dashing into a group of soldiers only to whirl back out, an unstoppable cyclone of death and blood.

Blocking another solider's blade, Talon easily dispatched of the few remaining soldiers as he pointed his blade towards Du Couteau.

"This is over. Surrender now and your life will be spared." Talon ordered.

Du Couteau was eerily quiet for a couple minutes as the Champions shifted uneasily. Even the few remaining of Du Couteau's soldiers turned to look cautiously at their leader. Suddenly, the General's face contorted into an unnatural grin.

"You have no idea what you're doing with here, Talon. None of you are prepared for what is about to come!" Du Couteau screamed gleefully, as he reached into his armor pocket and pulled out a glowing purple eye.

"T-That's the Eye of the Rift Herald! But how?!" Sivir cried out from the ranks as a visible shiver ran through Champions and Du Couteau's soldiers alike.

"Now witness your doom!" The General cried out with an evil grin spreading across his face as he pressed the stone into his armor plate, merging himself with the power of the Herald.

His armor lit up, purple light shooting out and blinding everyone in the entire valley. When the light faded, Du Couteau's armor was glowing with purple flames, his eyes lighting up with a sinister red tone.

Before anyone else could react, Fiora dashed forward, thrusting her blade towards Du Couteau. Easily dodging her move, the General lazily raised a finger and flicked her forehead and sent her shooting across the valley until she finally rolled to a stop, her body broken beyond repair.

"Not so much of a duelist, is she?" Du Couteau laughed, his voice warped and deeper than usual from the corruption of the Void.

Gritting his teeth, Talon readied his blade. "Regardless of whatever power boost you have, the Champions will never back down!" he roared.

Du Couteau cocked his head to the side. "Good! GOOD! Fight back! It will be so much more fun!" he cried out in glee before vanishing in a flash of purple.

Before anyone could even shout out, Du Couteau reappeared in front of Sivir.

"You're attentive. I like that. Truly a shame you're the first of many to feel my wrath." Du Couteau whispered.

Sivir's eyes widened as she began to activate her spell shield. But before the shield could form completely around her, she felt the cold steel of the General's blade cut across her body.

Dashing away as Sivir fell to the ground, Du Couteau continued zooming through the Champion's ranks in a flurry of blood and steel when he was brought back to reality when suddenly, his blade was blocked.

Locking up, excited to see who was finally able to block his attack, he was met with the glowing golden eyes of Shen. Twisting his blade, Shen disarmed the General and delivered a swift but powerful roundhouse kick that sent him stumbling back.

Seeing an opening, Talon drew his blade and leapt in, sending every blade and shuriken he had in his possession flying towards Du Couteau. Sweeping his hand as if he was shooing away a bug, Du Couteau sent out a wave of pure power in the wake of his hand that knocked back all the knives and sent Talon sprawling onto the ground.

Before Talon could even get back up, Du Couteau slipped past Shen and reappeared on top of Talon and slammed his boot onto Talon's chest, causing him to cough out blood from the impact.

Feeling Talon's bones threatening to break under the force of his boot, the General picked up on one of Talon's discarded blades and drove it through Talon's shoulder.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Talon felt his warm blood beginning to pool out underneath him.

Talon strained to push Du Couteau off while trying his best not to blank out from the excruciating pain. Through the haze of pain, he was suddenly aware of Katarina leaping up behind Du Couteau with her blade poised to stab him in the back.

The General moved with blinding speed, teleporting to the side and grabbed Katarina's wrist as she thrust her blade into thin air. Gripping her wrist, he swung her over and slammed her on top of Talon, creating a small crater in the ground as both assassins cried out in pain.

His eyes glowing with power, the General reared back his leg and delivered a devastating kick that sent both Katarina and Talon flying into a nearby building which crashed down on top of them.

Turning his attention back towards the rest of the Champions, he was about to charge before he sensed someone dashing in on him from behind. Flipping around, he managed to block Talon's blade.

Blood dripping from his shoulder wound, Talon's eyes were unnaturally fierce as he continued to strain against the General's block. Seeing Katarina slowly get up from the rubble, Du Couteau realized the reason behind Talon's unusual bravado.

"So, it's Katarina, isn't it?" he chuckled.

Talon wavered for a second in confusion and that was all the General needed.

Disarming him in a flash, Du Couteau landed a barrage of blows into Talon's exposed midsection before driving his blade through Talon's stomach.

Talon stumbled backwards, blood beginning to trickle down his mouth. He looked shakily down at the sword impaled in his stomach, then back at Katarina, her eyes wide and refusing to believe what was happening before he collapsed to the ground.

Katarina didn't even hear or see the other Champions charging towards Du Couteau as her entire world slowed down and everything faded into the background.

She slowly got up and began stumbling towards Talon, her heart pounding in her ears. Upon reaching his body, she fell to her knees as his blood began to pool around him.

"T-Talon?" she heard herself whisper.

Talon's eyes moved slowly towards her as he shakily raised his blood caked hand towards her. She grasped his hand in both of hers tightly as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Kat. I-" Talon coughed violently and winced as blood leaked out of his mouth.

"Don't talk! Y-you're going to make the wounds worse! I'll go get a doctor!" Katarina cried out in an increasingly desperate and panicked voice.

Talon shook his head painfully. "This isn't you, Kat. You're always the one to keep her cool, to be that beacon in battle that everyone could turn to and have a sense of relief that you're on their team, helping them snowball to victory."

Katarina shook her head frantically as the tears began to fall freely. "I-I can't lose you. I've already lost my father, please. Please don't leave me!"

"I love you, Katarina."

She suddenly froze, tears still gliding down her slim face and tracing down her scar.

Her mouth tried to form words but no sound came out.

Talon mustered up a weak but silly grin of relief as his eyes closed and his hand went limp in Katarina's hands.

Shaking as she tried to process what was happening, Katarina rubbed his hand as her brain refused to accept the fact that Talon was gone. But then suddenly, she was brought back to the world when an explosion ripped the ground right next to her, sending her and Talon's body flying.

Landing onto the ground painfully, Katarina immediately started searching for Talon but froze when she saw who was peering down at Talon's body with a look of pity.

Du Couteau casually slapped Talon's face to check that the assassin was truly dead before standing back up to see the Champions that were still capable of battle had formed a small army, intent on charging on the General as one unit.

Azir, who was at the head of the small army was about to order them forward when suddenly a dagger fell from the sky and impaled itself in the ground between the General and the small army.

Katarina flipped through the air, landing with a fist slamming on the ground that sent a small shockwave through the ground. Standing up and picking up the dagger casually with a finger, Katarina twirled the blade expertly before pointing it at Du Couteau and uttering two words that sent a ripple of fear through everyone gathered in the valley.

"He's mine."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author here, sorry again for the long long long wait, life has been very busy for me.**

 **Here is Chapter 8, and we are nearing the end of our journey with Talon and Katarina.**

 **If you have any suggestions for future pairings, please feel free to let me know!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~mk-lite**

* * *

Katarina's tone silenced any thought of suggesting any alternatives as the rest of the Champions slowly began to back away from the two.

The air was filled with waves of power emancipating from both the General and Katarina as clouds began to roll in over the valley, rain slowly pattering the battlefield.

Du Couteau raised his hands in a surrendering pose, much to everyone's confusion. Only Katarina stayed stoic, her green eyes fierce.

"Katarina, too much blood has been spilled for one day. I never wanted things to come to this," as he gestured at Talon's limp form before continuing. "That's why I am going to offer you to join our forces. Think about it, we can be side by side again, conquering the world in the name of Couteau! It will be just like-"

Suddenly he was aware of Katarina's gloved fist burying itself into his face.

Katarina gritted her teeth with effort and sent the General flying across the valley. Watching him tumble across the ground, Katarina slammed the ground with her blades, calling upon the power of her new Runes. Red electricity cracked through her body as she seemingly vanished in thin air.

Reappearing behind Du Couteau before he could come to a stop, Katarina threw him up in the air and delivered a devastating kick to his stomach that sent him hurtling back towards the ground.

As she reached her peak height, Katarina hurled several daggers that impaled themselves into the Generals stomach. Bringing her fist back as she zoomed in on the General, Katarina hit him so hard that a crater was formed, sending a pillar of dust and rock exploding out into the air.

Not waiting a second, she flung him out and followed in hot pursuit. Screaming in both frenzied bloodlust and anger, an aura of flame seemed to radiate from her as she continued her merciless and relentless barrage of blows.

"The Elder Dragon's Rage!" Ahri's eyes widened as she came to the realization what the mysterious aura was.

The General attempted to block a blow to the face but instead was caught in a thunderous blow to his midsection as it sent him flying, rolling him to a painful stop in front of the crowd of Champions who were struck into silence by both fear and awe.

Reappearing in front of him, Katarina lashed out in blur that forced the General to his knees as she slowly drew out her last blade, holding it to his exposed throat.

"Yes! This is the strength that you could have acquired long ago, if it weren't for Talon and your relationship. Stop forward and-"

Katarina pressed to blade against his jugular, breaking the skin and sending a small trickle of blood down his throat.

"You don't even deserve to say his name" Katarina snarled as she prepared to decapitate him.

Then suddenly, her world was enveloped in white light as everything around her faded to nothing.

Stunned to silence, Katarina could only blink in confusion at what was happening. Glancing down at her gloved hands, she studied them to make sure she wasn't dead.

Suddenly, she was aware of movement in front of her and reached for her blades only to realize that they too were gone, having lost them in the battle with the General.

"Katarina."

A voice caused her to freeze, as she slowly raised her eyes to the person in front of her as she gasped in disbelief.

His signature hood pulled down, revealing his messy brown hair, Talon stood in front of Katarina. He smiled as he opened his arms wide.

Katarina's body moved forward slowly, then began sprinting as she tackled Talon down in a hug as she began sobbing into his chest.

Talon looked down at her shaking head as he sighed contently and began stroking her hair to comfort the assassin.

Gently sitting up and prying Katarina off of him, Talon sat back as she tried to rub the falling tears away.

"H-how? I thought..what is even happening? Is this some sort of cruel trick?" Katarina's voice was shaky and hesitant, as if she was afraid to hear the answer to her question.

"This is a place beyond our understanding and comprehension. Think of this as a dream, a hallucination, or whatever you want to believe, but all I can explain is that I felt your call for help and now I am here. I never left you, and have no plans of leaving anytime soon." Talon replied with a smile.

Narrowing her eyes, Katarina sniffed as she cradled Talon's face in her gloved hands.

"Don't pull that cliche garbage on me. You aren't leaving me again," she pouted.

Talon smiled so warmly, Katarina felt her body envelop in a blanket of soothing warmth as her cheeks suddenly reddened.

"But as much as I love to stay here like this, our time has run out. I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much you may hate your father for everything he has done, he is still your one and only father that has been in your life, no matter for how short. You don't have to be alone anymore, Kat. We are all here for you, and perhaps given time, your father will be too," Talon said.

Katarina's eyes widened as Talon's form began glowing with a white light.

"W-wait!" she cried out.

"I love you, Katarina." Talon whispered.

Then everything dissipated and she was flung back to reality. Katarina blinked, as she realized she had her blade posed to slice off the General's head.

Her anger flared up, and she was about to strike when Talon's voice echoed in her head.

"You don't have to be alone anymore"

Suddenly, she felt a small crack in the wall she had built up throughout the years as her anger slowly subsided. Letting her grip on her blade go limp, Katarina stumbled back as the knife clattered to the ground.

Du Couteau's gleeful smile slowly faded to an expression of dismay as Katarina shakily turned around and began walking towards Talon's body.

Several Champions converged on the General, locking him in restraints. But the General seemed to have lost any will to resist as he stared blankly at the retreating form of Katarina.

"You were so close to the perfect killer, Katarina! One worthy of taking over my position and to rule over all of Runeterra! One worthy to bear the name Du Couteau with honor!" he cried out as Katarina knelt next to Talon's body.

Taric, Shen, Soraka, and Nami were huddled around Talon's body, all of them focusing their energy patching up his wound.

"We almost lost him several times, but the blade missed his vital organs. Barely. I don't know how he is hanging on, any normal person would have gone a long time ago," Shen murmured as they continued to heal Talon.

"He isn't a normal person" Katarina whispered as she reached down and intertwined Talon's hand with hers.

Suddenly, Talon's eyes fluttered open as violent coughs erupted from him as he winced in agony. Shen, Nami, Taric, and Soraka nearly tripped over each other from the sudden awakening of their patient.

But Katarina's expression remained unchanged, except for a small smile as she squeezed Talon's hand as he slowly turned his vision towards her.

"Welcome back, Talon"

Du Couteau had been watching the entire time as anger began pulsating from within him once again. Drawing his power, he suddenly slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked the Champions who were holding him away.

Tearing off his restraints, the General balled up his fist as he flew towards the group of healers, Talon and Katarina.

"YOUR TIME IS UP, THERE IS NO CHAMPION WHO CAN STOP ME!" he screamed in complete hysteria.

Suddenly, two figures appeared above Du Couteau and delivered a deadly roundhouse kick together that sent him plummeting to the ground.

Immediately rising from the crater that he had formed on the ground, Du Couteau clenched his fists in fury as the two figures landed neatly on the ground in front of him.

"If no Champion who can stop you, then why don't we give it a shot?" A young but defiant voice rang out through the dust. Before the General could move, two young Summoners stepped out into vision.

"Summoner Benetti and Simon!" Soraka cried out as a wave of surprise rolled through the Champions and other few Summoners who were out in the battlefield.

Not much had been heard about these two Summoners, as they usually chose to keep to themselves when it came to the games, opting for either the island that is top lane or a silent but diligent support. But almost everyday, they were spotted training and working out together in the gym.

Now it was up to their strength and coordination to put a stop to the crazed General.

"Fools. I can crush mountains with my bare hands. What chance do you have against my power?" Du Couteau growled.

"You're right. We would probably get flattened if we fought you like this. Thankfully, we've gotten a slight upgrade as well" Summoner Simon replied, and then nodded to Summoner Benetti as they both revealed Rune stones in their hands.

Summoner Simon's stone was the Precision stone, its yellow color pulsating strongly. In Summoner Benetti's hand was the Resolve stone, the green aura showing no sign of dying down in intensity.

Before Du Couteau realized what was happening, both Summoners slammed their stone on the ground in front of them as the power of the stone was unleashed.

Embracing the tendrils of power, the two Summoners were soon clad in suits of high tech armor, their suits glowing with elements of their respective Runes.

Fitted with full display HUD helmets and the stones as the central power source in the middle of their chests, the two Summoners stood together as Du Couteau looked on in increasing frustration while the rest of the Champions and Summoners looked on in awe.

"This ends now." Summoner Benetti's mechanized voice brought Du Couteau out of his haze of rage as he realized that underneath these suits, they were still human. Grinning widely, Du Couteau took off with a burst of power towards Benetti, intending to blow him away with a single strike.

Driving his fist forward with all his strength, the General was suddenly brought to a complete stop as he felt his gauntlets crumble against what felt like an unbreakable wall. Benetti's arms had formed an X across his face, as Du Couteau's fist trembled against the overwhelming tenacity of the Resolve stone.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Du Couteau lashed out with a kick to Benetti's exposed midsection. Benetti's sensors picked up the blow but he made no attempt to block it as the General's boot slammed against him with almost no effect.

Du Couteau's eyes widened in both fear and confusion as his attacks did no damage to the Summoner. Before he could move, Benetti suddenly grabbed his ankle.

"My turn" Benetti grinned under his helmet as he started to swing the General in circles before flinging him across the valley.

Crashing and finally rolling to a painful stop, Du Couteau slammed his fist on the ground in frustration before charging back towards Benetti. But this time, Benetti took off as well towards the General.

Their colliding fists created a ripple of pure power that sent them both skidding back before charging back towards each other.

Du Couteau poured on every single ounce of strength into trying to break the armor while trying not to feel the multiple heavy blows that Benetti was landing on him. In fact, he was so absorbed in their battle that he barely saw Simon darting in from his left side.

Before the General could raise his arm to defend himself, Simon vanished from side and reappeared behind him before driving his fist into the General's exposed back.

Growling in pain, Du Couteau barely had time to recover before taking a blow from Benetti that seemed to shake the very Earth.

Flexing his fists, Simon called upon his Precision stone, focusing on its power. Lashing out in a blur, the Summoner landed countless blows all over the General as he darted around him in a flash.

Focusing the energy to his right fist, Simon drove it forward which sent the General face first into the ground.

Before Du Couteau could even try and get up, Simon hoisted him up and tossed him up in the air as he began unleashing a flurry of punches that was too fast for the ye to follow. The speed of his blows began generating a small storm of electricity as Simon poured in all his strength and speed.

Just as Simon was about to deliver his final blow, Du Couteau suddenly caught one of his wrists in his iron grip. Before Benetti or Simon could make a move, Du Couteau flexed his grip, effectively crushing Simon's wrist.

Benetti delivered a roundhouse kick that sent the General stumbling, causing him to release Simon's wrist as Simon knelt on the ground, black spots swimming in his vision from the pain.

"H-how? We were doing so well." Simon gasped through the haze of agony.

"We underestimated him, he is much more powerful than we thought." Benetti said grimly as he helped Simon back up.

"You pests are annoying. For the resistance you have put up so far, I will grant you both a painless and quick death. But first, to rid of the distractions" Du Couteau snarled as he slammed the ground, sending a ripple of his void power towards the group of assembled Champions.

An enormous cage enclosed them, preventing any of them of making a move or escaping to aid the two Summoners.

"Now you die!" Du Couteau cried out as he focused his power to the countless corpses of his soldiers that lay scattered across the valley.

"N-no.." Ahri whimpered as she felt her stomach turn.

Even the most battle hardened Champions felt small pangs of fear in the back of their minds as they watched the entire army, reanimated as horrifying hybrids between Void and human beings, stand to face the two Summoners.

"While their situation seems dire, we must find a way to break out of this entrapment so that we may help them." Zed said as everyone nodded in agreement and began working on their cage.

Summoner Benetti and Simon have been through their own respective shares of battle and have scares to prove it. No matter how much the odds were against them, they always found a way to push through.

But as they felt their stones pulse weakly from their battle with Du Couteau, Benetti and Simon felt a mutual understanding pass between them.

Hoisting Simon up onto his feet, Benetti clasped his armored hand in Simon's.

"Life is full of experiences, isn't it? Now it's all about to come down to an end," Benetti said.

Although Benetti couldn't see it, he heard Simon's smile in his voice as he replied.

"It's us versus the world. We just aren't that strong. You and I both know we aren't going to make it out here alive."

"But that doesn't mean we won't fight. We'll live the last moments of our lives to the fullest. While it lasted, I had a great time. We'll die with our honor, and our friendship. We've been together for as long as I can remember. We live together, fight together, and when our time finally comes, we'll die together." Benetti replied as he deactivated his mask, revealing his sweaty and bruised face.

"You know, I wouldn't go any other way. But right now, I have your back, and you have mine. Let's show these guys just who exactly they're messing with. Just know this. It's been one hell of a journey." Simon said, his eyes fierce with emotion as he also deactivated his mask.

They squeezed their hands together as they nodded to each other before turning to face the army.

"Sentimental, but futile. It is your time to go now." Du Couteau growled as he signaled his army to charge forward.

Benetti and Simon charged forward, power bursting from their suits as they yelled their fury as final battle cries.

The explosion from their collision caused the Champions to turn towards the battle. They could only watch the two Summoner's battling their way to the General in silent sorrow, knowing that the outcome was inevitable.

Suddenly, Katarina caught a glimpse of the General behind the seemingly endless waves of soldiers. The stone that was powering him was now glowing so weakly one might mistake it for dead.

"He used up the last of his power to bring back his army in a last ditch effort to kill everything and everyone here." Shen said as if he had read Katarina's mind.

She nodded. "I can get to it, I am agile enough to shunpo my way through the soldiers. But we need to get out of here first."

"About that, we've figured out how this prison works and can only provide an opening for a couple milliseconds." Akali reported.

"That's all I need." Katarina replied as she hoisted her blades. Before she could move towards the area, she felt Talon grip her hand.

"Be careful." He said.

"It started with me, I must be the one to end this once and for all. But I know I am not alone in this anymore." Katarina said with a small smile before walking over to the area.

Several Champions focused their powers together and Katarina saw her opening. She vanished and reappeared outside of the cage as soon it closed back up.

Gripping her blades, Katarina began sprinting as fast as she could at the ongoing battle, hoping she wasn't too late.


	9. Chapter 9

"Duck!" Benetti cried out as he swung his fist. Simon barely had time to hit the ground before Benetti's fist decimated a solder that would have impaled him from behind.

Nodding his thanks, Simon turned around only to narrowly dodge an energy bolt. Sweeping the soldier's legs from under him, he grabbed a random blade and drove it through its chest, effectively ending its life.

Suddenly, they caught sight of the red headed assassin making her way towards them, blades whirling in anticipation. Without hesitation, Katarina leaped into the fray as she cut down waves of soldiers.

"His stone!" Katarina cried out in the midst of her tornado of blades. Benetti blinked before glancing at the General behind the seemingly endless waves of the undead. His purple stone seemed almost dead, as beads of sweat trailed down Du Couteau's pale face from the effort of drawing more power.

Benetti and Simon nodded to each other, as they began clearing a path for Katarina.

Meanwhile, the Champions had noticed that their prison had begun to weaken, as the General was focusing all available power to bringing back more soldiers to protect him.

Calling upon their combined powers and abilities, they finally managed to shatter the construct as they stumbled out into freedom.

But their relief would be short-lived, as Summoner Benetti was sent flying past them as he slammed into the ground. Pieces of his armor dropped around him as he shakily got up, supporting himself with one fist, the other hand cradling his side as blood dripped from a deep slash wound.

Before any of them could react, the Summoner activated his propulsion jets and launched himself back into battle.

"We must join forces with them before they are overrun." Shen commanded, as the rest of the Champions nodded in agreement and brandished their weapons and powers.

Charging towards the army, the sight of all Champions as one would make any enemy turn tail and run. But their enemy was no normal foe, and as their armies clashed, Katarina finally flipped onto the ledge behind Du Couteau's back.

She silently drew her blades as she crept towards his exposed back, but stopped suddenly when the General spoke.

"This does bring back memories, my daughter" the General said without turning around. "The feeling of crushing armies who only know that their demise would arrive at their doorstep eventually" he continued in a low voice.

"It doesn't have to end like this, Father. We can help you. This power is draining you, making you into a monster. Please, come back home to us." Katarina pleaded as Du Couteau slowly turned around to face her.

The effect of the Void was evident on his face, slowly turning his once regal face into that of a monster. His skin was burned and damaged, while the stone that was embedded into his chest was pulsing a faded but sickly shade of purple as his mouth had distorted into the very stuff of nightmares.

"It is too late for begging. All that is left in the end is just you and me, but only this time we are opponents." The General hissed as he drew a blade from behind his back.

Her emotion almost getting the better of her, Katarina focused on what was at stake here and dashed forward as their blades met in a flurry of sparks.

Meanwhile, things weren't looking so good for the Champions. Renekton snapped down on several soldiers as he swung his blade in a circle, slicing them into dust. Thresh yanked his hook onto one unlucky soldier, before dragging himself to it and flaying it into nothing. But with every soldier that was downed, three more seemed to rise to take its place.

Crushing a couple soldiers under his feet, Alistar grabbed several others and slammed them into the ground to have them rise back up again.

"They just don't stay down!" he grunted in frustration.

Calmly slashing them back down, Master Yi brandished his blade.

"We are simply buying Katarina time so that she may carry out her plan. Until then, carry on" the Wuju Master replied.

Summoner Benetti wasn't doing so well. The wound inflicted on his stomach hadn't let up, as pain and loss of blood threatened to snap his mind in half. His vision was blurry and everything was fuzzy but as he shifted his eyes towards Simon, he felt his heart stop in horror.

A solider grabbed Simon's broken wrist and twisted it, causing the Summoner to drop to the ground as he screamed out in pain. Before Benetti could dash forward, several soldiers converged on the Summoner, driving their blades deep into his chest.

Summoner Simon coughed as he stared shakily at the blades impaling his chest. Blood trickled down from his mouth as he slowly turned his head to look at Benetti before his eyes glazed over and his body went limp.

Benetti screamed in rage as his vision turned red. He slammed into the soldiers and swept them away in one sweep. Glowing green energy started radiating from him in powerful waves as he ignored the Champion's warnings and charged headfirst into the wave of soldiers.

Suddenly, a multitude of soldiers leaped on top of each other, melting and fusing into one bigger monster. Benetti charged at it, only bloodlust in his eyes as he slammed his fist into it only to have no effect. The monster grabbed his ankle and slammed him into the ground, causing him to cough up blood.

Breaking free from its grip, Benetti somersaulted backwards before leaping back at it, delivering a kick with all his power backing it. It sent the monster stumbling a little, and that was the only chance Benetti needed. Reaching into his chest compartment, he yanked out his quickly fading stone and attached it to the monsters head.

Leaping back down, he grabbed a missile launcher and aimed it at the stone. Letting loose, the missile hit home as the explosion that followed caused even Du Couteau and Katarina to pause their battle and glance at the battlefield.

"Your sacrifices will be in vain. I have raised you ever since you were a child, I know every single move and technique that you know. You could never hope to defeat me!" Du Couteau gloated.

Katarina was silent as she hurled several blades towards the General.

Blocking them easily, Du Couteau anticipated her next dash as he raised his blades to block her knife. But suddenly, she reached behind her and equipped something. Flashing out her arm in a blink of an eye, Du Couteau suddenly felt the cold bite of steel into his chest.

Katarina leaped through the air as Du Couteau suddenly saw the image of Talon mirror her movements.

Lashing out in desperation, the General became frantic as Katarina bobbed and weaved past his slashes only to deliver her own cuts that found home.

As she effectively cut a tendon on his leg, causing him to buckle to the ground, Katarina landed back on the ground and whirled up her signature tornado of blades, sending the General flying through the air as he landed in a broken and bloody pile.

Coughing up blood, Du Couteau stumbled back as he clutched his stone, which had been pierced.

"W-what did you do?!" he screamed out in rage.

Flexing her wrist, Katarina brandished Talon's signature wrist blade alongside her signature daggers.

"You're right. You would know any move I would try on you, but not one that Talon had given me . I could have never hoped to defeat you on my own, my feelings and lack of fighting styles would have never sufficed."

She began walking away, sheathing both of their blades.

"But together with Talon, he has given me the strength that I had been lacking and the love that I had been seeking. Something that you could have never given me" she continued.

"I-Impossible. We-we were supposed to rule the world together! The name Du Couteau known and feared across all of Runeterra!" The General gargled as the stone began glowing in increasing intensity.

"I'm sorry, Father." Katarina whispered as she turned around suddenly and hurled a dagger that buried itself deep into the stone. She knew that once the stone was breached, it would create an explosion that no one would be able to survive.

Taking one last look at the only father figure she had ever known, Katarina quickly dashed out from the ledge and to safety.

Grasping the stone close to him, the General slowly began laughing in hysteria as the Void finally completely corrupted his mind.

When he spoke, the voice was that of something not human or Void.

" **You have no idea what you have done."**

Not a second later, the stone detonated, the explosion echoing throughout the entire valley.

…

The soldiers suddenly stopped, their only power source gone as they all crumbled to the ground in piles of sand and dust. The Champions looked about in confusion, until Katarina slowly walked up to stand in front of them.

"It is done, this battle is finally over! Victory is ours!" Volibear roared as cheers erupted throughout the Champions and Summoners alike. But the chants of victory quickly faded as their attention turned towards the broken forms of the two Summoners.

His armor broken and his life force leaving him quickly, Benetti opened his eyes slowly to see the Champions slowly forming a loose circle around him.

Looking around slowly, his eyes finally landed on the body of Summoner Simon, who lay lifeless a couple feet from him.

Gathering energy that he didn't have, Benetti commanded his fading mind and body to drag himself towards his fallen brother in arms. With every inch he covered, he felt as if he was being crushed, burned, shot, and stabbed at the same time as the welcoming coolness of death began to swirl in the corner of his mind.

Finally reaching Simon's body, Benetti reached out with every last bit of will he had as he clasped his armored hand with Simon's cold and limp hand.

"Together until the end," Benetti whispered before he let out his last breath and his eyes glazed over in death.

…

The sound of her morning alarm bell going off woke up Katarina as she rolled to her side, grumbling to herself.

Finally giving in to the relentless buzzing of her alarm, the red haired assassin stumbled out of bed and into the washroom as she went through her usual morning routines until she emerged dressed in a skin tight black jumpsuit.

She had a game to attend to, and her Summoner had informed her that he had intended to choose the PROJECT skin for her so she had to dress accordingly. Opening her doors and walking out into the bustling hallway, Katarina gazed towards the center of the Champion Headquarters towards the newly built statue.

Summoner Benetti and Simon stood tall and proud, their Summoner suits captured in their brightest glory as they struck a victorious pose engrained in marble. The Summoners and Champions alike had helped contribute to this enormous statue, letting the sacrifices and nobility of these two young Summoners live on forever in the very halls where their lives as Summoners began.

Countless flowers, gifts, and letters were laid out in front of the statue, with torches burned from infinite sources of power lining the pathway to the statue. Katarina walked up, pulling out a small flower as she lay it with the bundles of flowers, bowing her head in respect before standing up and making her way towards the loading capsules.

Nearly six months had passed since that costly battle, but like always, the Champions Headquarters was on its way to a bigger and better version of itself. Together, the Champions were working together on further improving the already cutting edge technology for their home.

Arriving at the loading capsules, she strapped herself in as the rest of her team followed suit. Beaming down into the Summoner's Rift, her scanners indicated that her mid lane opponent was nearing.

Then out of the fog of war, Talon emerged as he swirled shurikens along his fingers. A grin spread across Katarina's face as Talon nodded towards her.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Talon." Katarina called out as she whirled her blades expertly.

"I've been taking time to recover from the battle. It was quite the toll on all of us." Talon replied quietly as Katarina's smile faded as she realized what Talon was referring to.

"I did what I had to do. Father was beyond saving. He was mad, and wouldn't have stopped until the Headquarters and everyone living in it were turned to dust." Katarina looked down at the ground, her emotion evident in her voice.

Talon's tone softened. "You did your best, as we all did. I'm proud of you, Katarina."

Katarina looked up slowly, as minions began filing in a single line towards them. "I appreciate the sentiments, but let's get on with the game, shall we? I want to blow off some steam."

Talon made no move as Katarina began running towards him, her blades poised to draw first blood.

"I love you."

These words suddenly made Katarina reel back, stumbling over her own feet and crashing to the ground in an awkward pile. Scrambling back towards her feet, she pointed a finger towards Talon as a subtle shade of red began creeping up her face.

"W-what did you just say?! This is the Summoner's Rift! Not a place for..for, that nonsense!" Katarina stammered as Talon slowly began walking up to her.

"I don't see the problem with that. In fact, I told you this already back on the battlefield." Talon replied curiously as he stopped right in front of her, their eyes locked together.

Taking her hand in his, Talon intertwined their fingers together as Katarina glanced embarrassingly at their hands then back at him.

"I don't want to regret anything anymore. I first became aware of my feelings so long ago, but failed to tell you in fear of rejection. But after a brush with death, I realized how easily it is to lose each other. So I'm going to stay here for you. Stay here with me. Forever," Talon whispered as Katarina shut her eyes.

Talon raised an eyebrow in confusion before a flash of red hair later and Katarina's lips were pressed against his as his eyes widened in surprise. Katarina pulled away, an angry but embarrassed expression on her face.

"There! That's how people do that sort of thing, right?!" she growled as Talon suddenly broke into laughter. "What?! Do you want to die?" Katarina retorted.

Talon shook his head as he brought her into a hug. Katarina's arms flailed awkwardly for a second before she reluctantly returned the gesture.

"I love you, Katarina." Talon whispered with a smile on his face.

"…I love you too, you moron." Katarina muttered under her breath, trying to suppress a silly grin that was spreading across her face.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for them when suddenly they were both ripped back into reality as a wave of MIA pings assaulted them both as their Summoners went bananas from the Champions refusing their commands.

Pulling away from each other and returning to their respective lanes, they both turned back towards each and drew their weapons.

Charging towards each other, their blades clashed against the other's, perfectly in sync. As if they were on the same wavelength, they sidestepped, rolled, lunged, and parried each other in a silent dance of combat.

Although the game would eventually fall into Talon's team's favor, the two assassins paid no attention to anyone else, as they only had each other in their sights.

After the game ended, Katarina stepped out of her capsule and after making sure the coast was clear, began looking around for Talon.

"Miss me already?"

A voice behind her made her spin around, dealing a deadly roundhouse kick to Talon's chest as he flew through the air and landed with a grunt on the hard floor.

Katarina gasped as she realized her mistake and rushed over to him.

"Why did you sneak up on me like that?! You know how we were trained!" Katarina cried out.

"Usually people say sorry first, but I guess that works too" Talon muttered as Katarina helped him to his feet. He rubbed his head awkwardly before making up his mind.

"Would you like to get dinner together?" he asked meekly, unlike how he was back on the Rift.

Katarina looked stunned for a second, then rolled her eyes as she took his open hand and they began walking down the halls as the ward lights automatically switching on as they filled the Headquarters with a comfortable glow.

"I'll pay for the food, in payment for bashing your pretty face," Katarina smirked.

Talon rolled his eyes before a giddy grin slowly spread across his face as they both squeezed their hands together reassuringly.

They had always had their doubt about what the future might hold, still confined in the prisons that their traumatic pasts had trapped them in. But now, walking together as one in heart and mind, they finally let their past die and fade away.

As they entered the enormous food court, they were immediately spotted by Ahri.

Sitting up from her seat next to Shen, Zed, and Akali, Ahri waved at them frantically with a wide grin on her face, beckoning them to join her.

Katarina and Talon glanced at each other for a second, before shrugging as they walked to join their friends. Sitting down across from each other, Zed silently raised his fist to Talon who ignored the fist bump attempt.

The night would continue in the company of the Ionians until Talon finally pulled Katarina out onto his balcony built into his room. He activated his music player, as Ed Sheeran's song filled his room.

* * *

 _Author suggestion: You could queue up Ed Sheeran's Perfect in the background as you read from this point on, just for extra feels. Completely optional, but it definitely helped set the mood to write the ending! ^^_

* * *

"Perfect? Out of all songs, really? You seriously are a hopeless romantic." Katarina laughed as their

He wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and held out his hand as they began slowly waltzing around his open room.

"I wanted to give something new a try, for you." Talon whispered with a small smile as Katarina felt her heart flutter.

Letting her thoughts wander as she caught sight of Aurelion Sol drift across the sky, the very stars bending to his will, Katarina lay her head on Talon's chest.

They moved slowly across his floor, the moonlight filling the room with a soft glow as their worlds slowly joined together as one. For too long, the only thing these two assassins knew how to do was take lives, no matter what the cost.

They only knew bloodshed, violence, money, and to always be on the move.

But in this moment, Katarina and Talon's worlds slowed down. Each breath as one, their motions as fluid as water. A comforting warmth filled their hearts as they slow danced in harmony.

No more war, no more fighting, no more running away.

Slowing to a stop besides the window, Talon felt his breath catch in his chest as he gazed at the sight of Katarina in his arms. The moonlight reflected off her eyes, as every single feature of her perfect face was outlined in the dim light.

"You look beautiful." Talon whispered, awestruck as if he was looking at her for the first time.

Katarina smiled shyly as she stared into his eyes.

"I do want to know if you're really ready to put up with someone like me, however. You can't always get away with sappy compliments like those," she said, a slight tremor in her usual confident voice.

"I have never been more prepared. I've always felt like my entire life was a blind journey of killing, until I met you. You shone through the fog that had blinded me, and given me direction. You are my everything." Talon whispered as Katarina felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

"I love you, Katarina."

"I love you too, Talon."

And as their lips met together, together, they let their past fade to nothing behind them as the lyrics of the perfect song filled the night sky with emotion and passion.

* * *

 **Author here!**

 **That concludes Live and Let Die! I honestly enjoyed writing this story quite a lot, as the League of Legends universe has infinite possibilities.**

 **I will miss this storyline, as I do with my previous works, but already have plans for future stories!**

 **Thank you to all readers and those who take the time to leave behind a comment or review, as anything and everything is greatly appreciated!**

 **Please look forward to future teasers coming out in the near future.**

 **~mk-lite**


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